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MOZART • SMETANA 
Hölderlin - Quarttett 
Simon Löffelmann, Klarinette 

Kritiken / Besprechungen 

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) 
Klarinetten-Quintett A-Dur KV 581  
Simon Löffelmann • Klarinette 
  
Allegro                                            9:04 
Larghetto                                         6:51 
Menuetto                                         7:05 
Thema con Variazioni, Allegretto       9:39 
  
BEDRICH SMETANA  (1824-1884) 
Streichquartett e-moll "Aus meinem Leben"  
  
Allegro vivo appassionato                 7:40 
Allegro moderato a la Polka             5:56 
Largo sostenuto                              9:43 
Vivace                                            6:57

 
 
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Rezensionen:
The Mozart is simply wonderful, about as good as any I have ever heard ... 
...but the authenticity of the Eastern-European flavor that the Hölderlin presents us with shows what may have been missing in the DGG recording. I love unexpected surprises, and this unusual disc will likely seduce you in the same way I was taken in.   
 
Stuttgarter Zeitung
vom 13.1.2009
...Wohlklang, wohin das Ohr hört, durchweg transparente Klänge, schön ausgespielte Kantilenen (was ganz besonders auf den Klarinettisten Simon Löffelmann zutrifft).... 

 Coburger Tageblatt
vom 30.12.2008
CD-TIPP              Mozart und Smetana statt Strauß 

Kritik vom 12.02.2009
....Anmut, Transparenz, beinahe perfekte Klangbalance und Tonschönheit in Mozarts Klarinetten-Quintett...  
Was Mozart in der Architektur seines vielleicht beliebtesten Kammermusikwerks angelegt hat – die klangliche und gestalterische Gleichberechtigung aller Instrumente –, bringen das hier sehr homogen agierende Hölderlin Quartett und der Solist Simon Löffelmann auf vorzügliche Weise zum Klingen: Jegliche virtuose Selbstdarstellung vermeidend positioniert sich die Klarinette wunderbar im Gesamtklang zwischen den Violinen, der Bratsche und dem Cello. Löffelmanns Spiel kommt natürlich atmend und gänzlich uneitel daher. Darüber hinaus beweist der Solist großen Ensemblegeist.  
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FANFARE MAGAZINE 4/2009:  

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A.1 SMETANA String Quartet in e, “From My Life” • Hölderlin Str Qrt; Simon Löffelmann (cl) • EDITION HERA 2122 (62:56)  

What a perplexing release this is! These are 1990 recordings from a quartet that I know little of, though the Web site www.hbdirect.com does give this information: “Formed in 1989, three members of the Hölderlin Quartet are also members of the Wurttembergischen Philharmonie Reutlingen and one performs with the state opera in Stuttgart. The name Hölderlin refers to the mission of the quartet, which is to uncover the poetic in the string quartet repertoire.” The coupling is, well, odd to say the least, and considering the number of fine Mozart Clarinet Quintets already in my collection, I was almost hoping that this one was going to be a dud; similar experiences in the past with unknown labels and ensembles would seem to back up my thoughts on the subject.  

Lo and behold, how wrong I was! The Mozart is simply wonderful, about as good as any I have ever heard, with clarinetist Simon Löffelmann (also difficult to pin down even with extensive Googling, though he is a member of the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen also, as solo clarinet) displaying a phenomenally rich and satiny tone, smooth as one could wish for. In fact, each member of this group plays with a tonal luster surely the envy of more noted and accomplished ensembles elsewhere. There are too many of the Mozart on the market to claim a “best ever,” but this one ranks right up there with my personal favorites, among them the Kell/Fine Arts (Boston Skyline), Wright/Marlboro (Sony), Steffens/Scharoun Ensemble Berlin (Tudor), Ensemble 360 (ASV), Moraguès/Pra?ák (Praga), and Portal/Ysaÿe (Aeon). Any one of the aforementioned is guaranteed to give you enjoyment aplenty, and is among the finest recordings of this work ever laid down. Note especially for audiophiles: the Tudor and Praga releases are surround-sound DSD.  

Now for the Smetana, the match in this odd couple. This is a finely burnished old-world reading of this popular chestnut, as autobiographical a work as you might find apart from Wagner or Strauss, and one completed just two years after he lost his position as conductor due to hearing failure. We tend to forget that Beethoven wasn’t the only musician so afflicted by a devastating and potentially career-ending misery. Each movement is dedicated to an incident “From my life”: (1) affection for art and life in youth; (2) joyous life of youth, and a composer of some note in dance works; (3) heavenly love of the girl who would become his wife; (4) discovery of musical nationalism, onset of deafness, and a painful feeling at the memory of the beginning of the life journey. Pretty comprehensive, when you think about it—and Smetana does do a fine job of conveying much of the intimacy of these topical considerations.  

I have been attached to the Emerson Quartet reading of this piece for a number of years, but the authenticity of the Eastern-European flavor that the Hölderlin presents us with shows what may have been missing in the DGG recording. I love unexpected surprises, and this unusual disc will likely seduce you in the same way I was taken in. One caveat: despite the 1990 recording date, this is going for full price.  
  

FANFARE: Steven E. Ritter