NEW • NOUVEAUTE • NEUHEIT Title: Johannes Brahms Clarinet Sonatas op. 120 Vier Ernste Gesänge op. 121 (arr. for Piano by Max Reger) Musicians: Dieter Klöcker, clarinet Claudius Tanski, piano Date of Release: 9/97 Number of CDs: 1 Order Number: MDG 301 0765-2 UPC-Code: Brahms Meets Reger Top Ranking On this CD Dieter Klöcker and Claudius Tanski team Dieter Klöcker and Claudius Tanski are two names up to offer you repertoire greats and a recording first: that have come to be regarded as synonymous with the two legendary Brahms Clarinet Sonatas op. 120 virtuosity. Both artists have been showered with and Max Reger's piano arrangements of the Vier prizes and the highest praise from the music critics. Ernste Gesänge op. 121. For example, their recording of the Brahms trios was "the sort of standard-setting Brahms interpretation Too Deep for Words only superb artistic talent and the finest experience in Clara Schumann was buried on Pentecost Sunday the field of chamber performance can bring." 1896, and on Pentecost Monday Brahms and a few "Two magnificent recordings earning a top ranking friends played the Vier Ernste Gesänge from a just among the thick field of competitors" (Stereoplay). finished manuscript. Brahms accompanied himself at the piano and sang-spoke along with his hoarse Johannes Brahms: Trio op. 114 and op. 40 voice. Speechlessness is what grips the listener of the MDG 301 0595-2 songs, and Max Reger picked up on this idea in his arrangement of the songs for the featured instrument Ignaz Moscheles: Fantasy op. 46, of Brahms's late period and with an instrumentation Grand Septuor op. 88, Grand Sextuor op. 35 bringing out their otherworldly dimension. Consortium Classicum, Claudius Tanski MDG 301 0669-2 Last Will The two sonatas and the four songs may be regarded Carl Czerny: Nonet (1850), Grande Sérénade op. 126 as Brahms's last will and testament: he himself died Consortium Classicum, Claudius Tanski in Vienna not too long after completing the latter MDG 301 0518-2 works. He turned to the dark and trim sound of the clarinet - no chord clusters here - in deliberate avoidance of extremes and concentration on the essential. It is thus not surprising that quiet, pensive, and bright and cheery tones predominate in the three works. DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM AUDIOVISION GMBH • BACHSTRASSE 35 • D-32756 DETMOLD TEL.: ++49-(0)5231-93890 • FAX.: ++49-(0)5231-26186.