W. A. Mozart: Ecstasy & Abyss – Martin Fröst (Soloist & Conductor)

Martin Fröst’s new double album for Sony Classical – “Mozart: Ecstasy and Abyss,” to be released March 31 – features him for the first time not only as soloist in the Clarinet Concerto, but also as conductor – with the Prague and Jupiter Symphonies, as well as the Piano Concerto No. 25 with Lucas Debargue

The new double album by Martin Fröst is dedicated to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. For the first time he can be heard here as a conductor – with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, of which he is musical director The program includes Mozart’s late works, which were composed at particularly precarious moments for the composer himself – and which, despite this, are obviously of exquisite intensity and beauty. This unusual temporal coincidence is reflected in the subtitle “Ecstasy and Abyss”.

Martin Fröst can be heard with his third recording of the Clarinet Concerto in A major, KV 622, which he plays on the basset clarinet, as composed by Mozart. Martin Fröst also conducts the “Prague” Symphony in D major, K. 504, and Mozart’s last symphony, the “Jupiter” Symphony in C major, K. 551. French pianist Lucas Debargue is the soloist in the Piano Concerto in C major, K. 503, and soprano Elin Rombo sings the concert aria “Ch’io mi scordi di te? – Non temer, amato bene” KV 505 and mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg the aria of Sesto “Parto, ma tu, ben mio” from the late seria opera “La Clemenza di Tito” KV 621, again accompanied by Martin Fröst on basset clarinet.