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Carl Stamitz
Clarinet Concerto No. 3
Carl Stamitz was born in 1746 in Mannheim. He was the eldest son of Johann Anton Wenzel Stamitz, who was the founder of the Mannheim School. It was under Johann's leadership that the Mannheim Orchestra became renowned in Europe for its range of dynamics, rhythmic precision and its disciplined style.
His son Carl is known as the founder of the clarinet concerto because he was the first to recognize the soloistic potential of the clarinet, as well as its range of color. He also established its role in the orchestra. Although he had a desire to write for the clarinet, he did not exhaust the capability of the instrument in his compositions. He left that task to W. A. Mozart and Carl Maria von Weber who perfected what Stamitz had just begun.
The Clainet Concerto No. 3 was likely written around 1785, which was the same year that he was appointed the lead violin of the Duc de Noailles in Paris. Since Carl Stamitz toured extensively as a virtuoso, many of his compositions were rarely carefully crafted. The concerto in E-Flat was probably written for the famous clarinetist Josef Beer from Bohemia, who was a member of the Berlin Hofkapelle. In this concerto, the cadenzas are also those of Josef Beer. In addition, the style of this concerto reflects the usual orchestration found in the mid-eighteenth century, where most of the important musical material was given to the strings, while the winds were left to fill in the harmony. Carl Stamitz's style is pleasant and free-flowing as nicely illustrated in this concerto.
-- program notes by Laurien Jones