Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Quintette pour clarinette en si bémol majeur, op. 34
Variations pour clarinette et piano en si bémol majeur sur un thème de l'opéra "Silvana", op. 33
Grand Duo concertant pour clarinette et piano en mi bémol majeur, op. 48

Davide Bandieri, clarinette
Matteo Fossi, piano
Quartetto Savinio

Parmi les œuvres majeures dédiées à la clarinette figurent celles de Mozart, de Brahms et de Weber. Même si la production pour clarinette de Weber se limite à trois œuvres concertantes et trois pièces de musique de chambre, leur qualité font qu’elles figurent au répertoire de tous les grands clarinettistes. Le présent disque regroupe le Quintette, le Grand Duo concertant et les sept variations sur un thème de son opéra « Silvana ». L’excellent clarinettiste Davide Bandieri, très bien accompagné par le Quatuor Savinio propose une version très vivante et colorée du quintette en privilégiant le sens du dialogue qui caractérise la musique particulièrement opératique de Weber. Le pianiste Mateo Fossi s’avère aussi un partenaire attentif dans les variations « Silvana » et le « Grand duo Concertant » (œuvre d’un tout autre intérêt musical que les variations). Si la prise de son est parfaite pour le Quintette (bien équilibrée, aérée et naturelle), on peut néanmoins reprocher dans les œuvres avec piano quelques saturations de la clarinette et surtout des « blancs » entre chaque variation nuisant à l’unité de la pièce. (Jean-Noël Regnier)

Carl Maria von Weber had a special fondness for the clarinet, finding it the ideal instrument for expressing the profound Romanticism he had made his own. He borrowed from a youthful composition, his opera Silvana completed at the age of 24, for his Opus 33 Clarinet variations. Encouraged by critics to rework the opera’s ‘overly instrumental’ vocal parts, he deleted two arias, but the following year reused the melody of the second of these for his Seven Variations for clarinet and piano Op.33 (1811). He develops the instantly hummable theme with its cheerful dotted rhythm stylishly, imaginatively and virtuosically, showcasing the full extent of the clarinettist’s abilities while also allowing the piano to shine in two of the seven variations. The piece was premiered in Prague at a private residence by Weber and his friend and touring partner Heinrich Ba¨rmann, whom he had met a few months earlier in Darmstadt. The clarinettist Ba¨rmann had instantly won Weber over with his prodigious technique and highly expressive sound. In 1815, Weber left Prague for Munich to meet with Ba¨rmann, and there he composed the second and third movements of what would become the Grand Duo concertant Op.48 with the addition of an opening movement in November 1816. In this work Weber gets the very best out of two quintessentially Romantic instruments, but – well aware of his own abilities (Weber was an excellent concert pianist, with exceptionally large hands) – he also challenges himself with a demanding piano part, presenting two co-protagonists ‘competing’ enthusiastically with one another through myriad arpeggios, scales and virtuoso passages. Another piece from 1815, is the Quintet for clarinet and string quartet Op.34, premiered on 26 August at Ba¨rmann’s home. While the first sketches date back to 1811, when Weber first met Ba¨rmann and composed the Concertino Op.26, the two Concertos Opp. 73 & 74 and the aforementioned Seven Variations for him, he would continue working on it in 1812 in Munich and 1813 in Prague, before completing it in Munich in 1815. The work is almost concerto-like, with the strings supporting the clarinet and falling away at just the right moment to allow it to express itself, before returning immediately afterwards, in a refined yet playful dialogue.