Anton Stadler’s works for solo clarinet are collected into a single volume for the first time and include hitherto unpublished music. Three Caprices and three Fantaisies are selections of popular contemporary tunes, laced together with virtuoso clarinet writing. Sets of variations, also based on popular themes, display a compendium of classical clarinet technique. These solos offer the modern player a challenging workout in the instrumental idioms of Mozart’s friend and clarinettist.

Anton Stadler’s Solos for Clarinet and and Duos for Clarinet, edited by Martin Harlow, are excellent contributions to the clarinet’s repertoire. They include four impressive and technically challenging solos and two musically attractive sets of duos, by the most outstanding clarinettist of the late eighteenth century. The introduction, editing, and textual notes are accurate and scholarly—both editions are highly recommended to all clarinetists.

Albert R. Rice, clarinettist and author.

Martin Harlow offers some important new insights into the vicissitudes of freelance performers during Mozart’s lifetime. The cultural milieu of Anton Stadler’s small-scale compositions is particularly well caught, offering an inspirational context for today’s performers of these editions.

Colin Lawson, clarinettist, author and educator

Music example (pdf)