Emerson String Quartet's Mozart and Brahms

Mozart's "Clarinet Quintet," K. 581, and the Brahms Quintet, Op. 115, are pieces of tremendous power. They require a soloist of both technical gifts and stylistic intuition--a player who can confidently negotiate two of the most beautiful works in the clarinet repertoire. David Shifrin, professor of clarinet at the Yale School of Music and former principal clarinetist of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, fulfills these criteria completely.

The Mozart "Quintet" is a truly remarkable composition. The richness of its melody, the perfection of its form, and the consummately artistic blending of its clarinet line with those of the strings combine to make it memorable. Shifrin and the Emerson String Quartet interpret the various colors and subtle moods of the piece with great sensitivity, musicianship, and grace.

Shifrin's use of a basset-clarinet, the range ofwhich extends beyond that of a normal clarinet to low C, gives his nuanced playing yet another dimension. Mozart originally wrote the quintet for this instrument, which has a slightly different timbre and a darker, more soulful sound. Both Mozart and Stadler would have been impressed with Shifrin's sophisticated interpretation.

Shifrin's Brahms "Quintet" is an equally rewarding listening experience. The soloist's exceptional insight and artistry are most noticeably displayed in the second movement, with its rough gypsy folk-song qualities, and his skill is complemented by the Quartet's equally outstanding accompaniment.

Indeed, the Emerson String Quartet, called "the best string quartet in the United States today" by the British Broadcasting Corporation Music Magazine, supplies invigorating support for the expansive melodic phrasing in the Brahms and the introspective serenity of the Mozart. With the dynamic combination of Shifrin and the Quartet, Deutsche Grammophon has produced yet another essential disc for any properly outfitted classical library. (Deutsche Grammophon)

--David Rybicki

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