Summary
The Grand Duo Concertant, Opus 48, J204, is a three-movement work for clarinet and piano composed by Carl Maria von Weber from 1815 to 1816. It is a virtuosic piece for both instruments.[1] Weber most likely composed the work for himself (on piano) and his friend Heinrich Baermann, a leading clarinettist of the era, although it has also been suggested that the intended clarinettist was Johann Simon Hermstedt.[2][3]
The three movements are as follows:
- Allegro con fuoco
- Andante con moto
- Rondo: allegro
The second and third movements were completed before the first and were probably performed in 1815 for King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria at the Nymphenburg Palace.[4] During its composition, Weber designated the work as a sonata, but abandoned that title upon its completion. This decision reflected the work's character as more of a showcase for two virtuosos than a conventionally structured and integrated work.[5] The first movement is in sonata form,[6] the second movement is an Andante in C minor, and the finale is a lilting rondo in E-flat major. The British music critic John Warrack suggests the work could be referred to as a "double concerto without orchestra", reflecting the highly virtuosic roles for both performers.[7]
The autograph manuscript of the work is preserved in the Library of Congress.
Media edit
References edit
- ^ Brown, Clive (2003). Nineteenth-Century Chamber Music (edited by Stephen E. Hefling). New York: Routledge. pp. 144–145.
- ^ "Review: Sonatas; Grand duo concertant / Danzi, Mendelssohn, Weber (Charles Neidich and Robert Levin)". Gramophone. No. September 1995.
- ^ Warrack, John. "Review: Ries / Weber (Taillard / Torbianelli)". Gramophone. No. April 2003.
- ^ Rice, Albert R. (2003). The Clarinet in the Classical Period. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 189.
- ^ Warrack, John (1976). Carl Maria Von Weber. Cambridge University Press. p. 374. ISBN 0521291216.
- ^ Warrack, John (1976). Carl Maria Von Weber. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 0521291216.
- ^ Warrack, John. "Review: Weber (Moragues, Izuha, Prazak Quartet)". Gramophone. No. October 2001.
Recordings edit
Etcetera Records, Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble, C.M. von Weber (Grand Quintetto op.34, Grand Duo Concertant op.48, Variations on a theme of Silvana op.33) (2017)
External links edit
- Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48. Webers' autograph in the Library of Congress
- Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
