Brahms and the clarinet

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1891, two new works by Brahms premiered in Berlin—much to the relief of the composer’s friends. The previous year the 58-year-old composer was in an especially grumpy mood, poo-poohing suggestions that he would ever compose anything again. Brahms felt he was, in effect, all “composed-out.” “I have tormented myself to no purpose lately,” he told one friend. “Till now I never had to do so at all, things always came easily to me.”

Then early in 1891, he heard the Duke of Meiningen’s excellent orchestra. So taken was Brahms by the sound of that orchestra’s clarinetist, one Richard Mühlfeld, that he spent his summer vacation writing two works for him: a Trio for clarinet, piano and cello, and a Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet. The creative juices were flowing once again.

As a thank-you to the Duke, Brahms had his two new pieces played privately at Meiningen Castle on November 24th, and then Mülhfeld and Brahms headed to Berlin for public performances of the new pieces at the chamber concerts of the Joachim Quartet. Violinist Joseph Joachim was an old friend of Brahms, and, for nearly four decades his chamber concerts in Berlin had featured only works written for strings. But for Brahms—and Mülhfeld—Joachim made an exception. For their part, the Berlin audiences loved the new clarinet works, and even demanded that the Quintet’s “Adagio” movement be encored.

Music Played in Today's Program

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115 Charles Neidich, clarinet; Juilliard String Quartet Sony 66285

On This Day

Births

• 1887 - Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg, in Göteborg;

Deaths

• 1707 - British composer and organist Jeremiah Clarke (Julian date: Dec. 1);

Premieres

• 1891 - Brahms: Clarinet Trio in a, Op. 114, and Clarinet Quintet in B, Op. 115, at the Singakadmie in Berlin, both with clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, accompanied by cellist Robert Hausmann, and the composer at the piano (in the Trio) and the Joachim Quartet (in the Quintet); A private performance of the Clarinet Trio had occurred earlier in Meiningen on November 24, 1891, with the same performers;

• 1902 - Rimsky-Korsakov: opera "Kashchey the Immortal," in Moscow (Gregorian date: Dec. 25);

• 1909 - Liadov: “Kikimora” for orchestra, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Nov. 29);

• 1926 - Shostakovich: Piano Sonata No. 1, in Leningrad, by the composer;

• 1929 - Constant Lambert: "Rio Grande" for piano and orchestra, in Manchester, England;

• 1932 - Britten: "Phantasy Quartet" No. 2 for oboe and strings, in London, with oboist Leon Goossens and members of the International String Quartet;

• 1948 - Henze: Violin Concerto, in Baden-Baden;

• 1997 - Kevin Volans: Cello Concerto, in Munich, by soloist Wen-Sinn Yang with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra;

• 2001 - Henry Brant: "Ice Field" for orchestra, by the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas conducting; This work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2002;