Clarinet Concerto in a minor, Op. 80

Composer: STANFORD, Sir Charles Villiers
  • Written in 1902, Stanford’s concerto for clarinet and orchestra was initially envisioned as a single-movement work. However, publishers recognized the three distinct movements of the work and subsequently produced the score accordingly.
  • Stanford originally dedicated the work to clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld; however, Stanford dramatically scratched the name off his original score after the musician refused to play the premiere.
    • Stanford had been inspired by Mühlfeld’s performance of Brahms’s beloved Clarinet Sonatas when writing his own piece for the instrument.
  • Clarinet Concerto in a minor premiered in London in 1904, performed by Charles Draper and conducted by Stanford.1

Sources

  1. Alun Francis, Notes in accompanying booklet, Finzi & Stanford: Clarinet Concertos performed by Dame Thea King and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Alun Francis, Hyperion 55101, 2001, compact disc.

Cut IDs

42231