Bernhard Crusell: Three Quartets for clarinet & strings

Thanks to his exceptional talent as a clarinettist, the Finnish-born composer Bernard Henrik Crusell made it very quickly from his home village, Uusikaupunki, to the metropolis of Stockholm, where he spent the rest of his life, mainly as a member of the orchestra of the Swedish Royal Court. His travels brought him to Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Paris, cities in which he made the acquaintance of many great musicians and instrument builders. His works for the clarinet (including three concertos) were widely known in the musical circles of the first part of the 19th century.

Eric Hoeprich, principal clarinet of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century since its foundation, has specialized in performing on the historical clarinet, also being the owner of a large collection of 18th and 19th century instruments. On Glossa he has issued nearly a dozen of recordings, including the Mozart Clarinet Concerto directed by Frans Brüggen. His regular collaboration with the London Haydn Quartet lasts for many years now, with a referential recording of the Mozart and Brahms Quintets being an important highlight (Glossa, 2004).

On the new recording of the Crusell Quartets presented here, Hoeprich and the members of the London Haydn Quartet play on fine historical instruments, which provide a warm, blended sound that is at the same time both transparent and full of detail. All excellently captured by Philip Hobbs in St Martin’s Church in East Woodhay, England, and supplemented by an informative essay authored by Hoeprich himself.