Composed (1791); 31 minutes

Mozart loved the clarinet—an instrument he first heard in London at the age of eight. At the time it was still something of a novelty, rarely heard as a solo voice, only later beginning to find a secure place in the orchestral wind section. In Vienna, Mozart encountered the player who would transform his view of the instrument: Anton Stadler, the finest clarinetist in the city. The two met in 1781 soon after Mozart left Salzburg, quickly becoming close friends and fellow Freemasons. Mozart teased him affectionately in letters, calling him Ribisel-Gesicht— “red-currant face” — (at best), yet he also supported him financially during periods when Mozart himself was struggling with debt.

Stadler’s playing inspired some of Mozart’s most remarkable chamber music. The Clarinet Trio, K. 498 (“Kegelstatt”), followed in 1786, with Mozart himself playing the viola at its first performance. Around the same time, the Viennese instrument maker Theodor Lotz collaborated with Stadler to create a new version of the instrument—the basset clarinet—equipped with up to four additional keys that extended its range downward. Contemporary newspapers marveled at its “full four-octave” compass and at Stadler’s ability to display its possibilities “with amazing ease.”

Mozart quickly recognized the expressive potential of Anton Stadler’s playing and the added resonance of the extended instrument. In 1790 he wrote the Clarinet Quintet, one of the most sublime works in the chamber repertoire, and a little more than a year later composed the Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622. This was likely premiered by Stadler in Prague on October 16, 1791, at the beginning of a five-year tour on leave from his court positions. This was just weeks before Mozart’s death. The concerto stands as Mozart’s valedictory composition, sharing the profundity of the late piano concertos and the autumnal tone of the Requiem he was composing at the end of his life. Its serenity and quiet resignation are hard to separate from the composer’s final months.

Mozart’s orchestration contributes greatly to the concerto’s mellow character. Avoiding the brighter oboes, he writes instead for pairs of flutes, bassoons, and horns with strings, often giving the bass line to cello alone without double bass. From the opening bars the clarinet sings with long, sustained melodic lines while weaving gracefully through the orchestral texture. The first movement balances lyrical warmth with intricate contrapuntal interplay between soloist and ensemble. In the slow movement, Mozart unfolds one of the simplest yet most profound melodies he ever wrote, its variations deepening the emotional atmosphere. The finale appears as a cheerful rondo in a major key, yet beneath its elegance lies a lingering melancholy, with frequent turns toward the minor. Recognized almost immediately as a masterpiece, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto has never left the concert repertoire—a heartfelt farewell from a composer who understood the clarinet’s voice as few others ever have.

 — Program notes copyright © 2026 Keith Horner. 
Comments welcomed: khornernotes@gmail.com