Franz Tausch (1762–1817) 
13 Pièces en Quatuor Op. 22

Johann Stamitz (1717–1757)
Three Quartets for Clarinets and Horns

Bernhard Henrik Crusell (1775–1838)
Concert Trio

Heinrich Baermann (1784–1847) arr. Robert Percival
Adagio from Quintet Op. 23

Reviews

“button-bright performances caught in a sympathetic acoustic... performed with spirit and vigour” Gramophone

"beautifully prepared and executed... While this CD makes a valuable contribution to our wider understanding of an important aspect of the history of the clarinet, it also provides a very entertaining and rewarding listening experience for the general listener." Early Music Review (5 stars)

"Beautifully played ... Clear and engaging" Clarinet & Saxophone (Editor's Choice)

"The repertoire of the various combinations of wind band are not as well known as they should be, which makes this recording a particularly valuable contribution to the world of music. The playing (from Emily Worthington & Fiona Mitchell, clarinet, Robert Percival, bassoon, Anneke Scott & Kate Goldsith, natural horn) is outstanding, both technically and musically." Andrew Benson-Wilson

"varied and delightful... a finely satisfying disc" Robert Hugill (4.5 stars)

"impressive, technically but also musically... If you like this kind of repertoire this disc is not to be missed. I am looking forward to upcoming projects of this outstanding ensemble.” Johann van Veen, Musicweb International

"The five piece period woodwind and brass ensemble make a lovely sound, bringing this 18th- and early-19th-Century music to life in a way that is entertaining and very accessible." Lark Reviews

Music for a Prussian Salon

World-premiere recordings of music by Tausch, Crusell, Baermann, Stamitz

Music for a Prussian Salon illustrates the musical legacy of the influential but now-forgotten clarinettist Franz Tausch (1762–1817). Tausch’s extraordinary career stretched from his training as a child prodigy at the heart of the Mannheim court through to post-Napoleonic Berlin, where he trained some of the most famous wind-players of the early-Romantic period. His life and music encapsulate the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in a unique and fascinating way.

Tausch’s exquisitely intimate 13 Pièces en Quatuor comprise a lexicon of compositional style during his lifetime. Music for a Prussian Salon places them alongside works by Mannheim School founder Johann Stamitz and two of Tausch’s most famous clarinet pupils, Heinrich Baermann and Bernhard Henrik Crusell. The colours of historical clarinets, horns and bassoon create a rich sound-world in repertoire that charts the development of instrumental technique from the simplicity of Stamitz’s Quartets to the virtuoso excesses of Crusell’s operatic Concert-Trio. Baermann’s much-loved Adagio is heard in a new version made specially for the ensemble – a 21st-century creation, yet one that reflects the historical tradition of harmonie-arrangement.

Listen to samples of our new disc below.