V1: Mozart

TRIO ROSEAU

Too bad it’s only been around for a hundred years! This is what the Trio Roseau thought about its ensemble form, the “trio d’anches” featuring the oboe, clarinet, and bassoon and first established in the 1920s. But what to do when the ensemble’s own members include a recognized top arranger in the person of Ulf-Guido Schäfer? This versatile clarinetist did his seeking in the music of the immortal Mozart, and what he found there and arranged for his trio has now been recorded on the big sound of this album– a revelation for specialists in the field of wind chamber music – and not only for them! La clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s last opera, offered particularly rewarding finds- which is hardly surprising, given the fact that Mozart increasingly included important parts for wind instruments in his late works. And the combination of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon also repeatedly occurs in the original scores. Might this be the reason why Schafer’s arrangements sound so authentic? Two duets and two arias, framed by the overture and the famous rondo “Non piu di fiori,” yield an ensemble composition full of operatic drama and ravishing beauty. Mozart’s predilection for the clarinet is legendary, and he was also so very fond of the basset horn, its “big sister” with a low voice, that he composed a good two dozen trio pieces for three of these horns. From them Schafer has derived three enchanting divertimenti that in their instrumentation for trio d’anches create a mirthful serenade atmosphere.

Price: $22.99