Student and teacher show how they click on new clarinet CD

What do you get when a violin virtuoso composes clarinet concertos? In the case of Louis Spohr, you get incredibly challenging music that's truly a joy for the listener.

Spohr was an important musical figure of the early romantic period. In addition to being a violin virtuoso, he was a conductor, a composer and a popular teacher. On this new release, clarinet virtuoso Sabine Meyer performs Spohr's Concerto No. 4. Joining her on this recording is British clarinetist Julian Bliss, a rising star who happens to be one of Meyer's students. Bliss is featured on Spohr's second clarinet concerto. He also teams up with his teacher on a double concerto by Franz Krommer.

Double concertos for clarinet were uncommon at the turn of the 19th century. Those that do exist were written by clarinetists or lesser-known composers such as Krommer, and are seldom performed. Franz Krommer was a Moravian-born Czech composer who played violin, cello, organ and possibly the oboe. He was among the many musicians who flocked to Vienna in the 18th century and is best-known today for his wind concertos.

Krommer's Concerto in E-flat major for Two Clarinets is just plain delightful. In the first movement, his sunny, optimistic style sparkles. Sabine Meyer and her protege, Julian Bliss, jump right into this vibrant concerto, swirling around one another and concocting a rich, tasty musical confection. Bliss is just 17 years old yet he's already captured the spirit of his exceptional teacher, matching her fine intonation, her gorgeous tone and her animated flair for the dramatic. When Bliss and Meyer play in tandem during the emotional slow movement, their style is so complementary that it's difficult to identify who's the leader and who's the follower.

While Louis Spohr wrote his first three concertos for the brighter, more commonly used B-flat clarinet, he composed his Concerto No. 4 for the mellow clarinet in A. This concerto has a more symphonic sound, with a long, solemn introduction. Meyer knows just how to charm the sumptuous chalumeau register from her instrument. She also maneuvers through the extensive range of high and low notes with graceful ease.

Louis Spohr wrote his clarinet concertos for a gifted player and friend, Johann Simon Hermstedt. Spohr admitted he used his violin as a compass when he created his clarinet concertos. That explains why he asked the clarinetist to perform amazing feats, such as nearly impossible trills and high notes designed for acute, almost canine ears. In the adagio of Spohr's Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Julian Bliss is completely exposed as he easily glides through those challenging passages.

Sabine Meyer says Bliss is amazing for his age. He has a good feeling for sound and intonation, and a strong personality on stage. These are the elements that reveal him as a true artist, like his teacher Sabine Meyer. Through their artistic, witty performances of these 18th-century clarinet concertos by Spohr and Krommer, Meyer and Bliss display their technical expertise and their great sense of passion and joy.

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