Mozart: Complete Works For Clarinet Vol. 2 [CD], Nicolas Baldeyrou, CD

After exploring the Gran Partita, Nicolas Baldeyrou opens the doors to concertante music in this second volume. The programme displays the two faces of Mozart: the youthful, all-conquering genius of his Parisian period, and the supreme master of his final year in Vienna - the two phases united by his overriding desire to make the instrument 'sing'. 'Performing these major works on historical instruments is not a nostalgic exercise, but an attempt to recover the music's acoustic authenticity,' says Baldeyrou. For the Concerto, the use of a copy of the period basset clarinet is essential in order to recreate the melodic line, tessitura and colours demanded by Mozart. Where the modern clarinet 'homogenises' the sound, the historical basset clarinet offers an infinite palette. With the Kolner Akademie and leading soloists, Baldeyrou plays with the intrinsic vulnerability of the instrument and sculpts each note, bringing us as close as possible to the composer's last creative impulse.