Martin Fröst - Brahms: Clarinet Quintet, Trio in A Minor & 6 Songs (2014)

Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst released a fine recording of Brahms' late clarinet sonatas and clarinet trio, and the intention was apparently to capitalize on that with this version of the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115. Oddly, the trio from the earlier disc is simply reprised, with the result that the album consists of three performances separated from each other in time (and in two cases space); the six song transcriptions that serve as a very subtle entr'acte were recorded separately from the quintet. Given how well Fröst interacts with his ensembles and accompanist here, one might have wished to hear the music recorded in a single creative act, not to mention avoiding duplication in a recording that's top-of-the-line pricewise. When listeners get to the main attraction, however, all is well. Fröst is not the most expressive of clarinetists, but the Clarinet Quintet fares just fine without the "late" autumnal flavoring it is sometimes given; Brahms wasn't planning on dying. The work is one of the most intricate ever composed by Brahms or anyone else, with the ability to make listeners feel that once they've entered, they may never emerge. It is this complexity of motivic interplay that Fröst, with a very fine set of collaborators that includes the celebrated Janine Jansen on first violin, captures. His approach is quiet, making the clarinet an almost spectral presence at times, but never without a reason to do that. This is the kind of recording that can be put on at 1 a.m., after everyone else has gone to bed, and find deep revelations in. BIS engineers do well at reconciling the varying sonic environments.