Jack Brymer was one of the twentieth century’s leading clarinetists. Alto showcases his art, bringing together for the first time Brymer’s landmark recording of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the inimitable Sir Thomas Beecham with recordings of three classical masterpieces and Debussy’s Rhapsody made in Vienna for Vanguard Classics.
“[Brymer’s] command [in the Mozart Concerto] is absolute, the mood calmingly resigned. … The underlying melancholy (missed here by many) is fully brought out. … Weber’s Concertino excellently exploits the clarinet’s qualities. … Baermann’s Adagio has a certain melodic grace of an operatic kind; and Debussy’s Rhapsodie (competition work) has a lot of characteristic things, and never suggests that it was a piece he really had to write. … Brymer’s playing will be familiar from many recordings: he has a smooth technique, a lovely liquid tone – rich and warm in the clarion register, oily and vibrant in the chalumeau. … He phrases Kramář with grace in the outer movements and expression in the Adagio; a skilful, thoroughly musical performance”.
-Gramophone
