Sublime Mozart

10/06/2009
William Yeoman
The West Australian (Australia)

Whether you know the slow movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto from the concert hall or the movie soundtrack for Out of Africa, you have to agree it’s one of the most sublime pieces of music ever written. But the slow movement from his Clarinet Quintet is just as beautiful, and on this new release from Melba Recordings you get both works played in their entirety. Paul Dean—brother of violinist and composer Brett Dean—deploys his warm, flexible tone with great discernment throughout, breathing new life into these oft-recorded standards of the classical repertoire. The Queensland Orchestra, under the secure baton of Guillaume Tourniaire, plays with its customary skill, while the Grainger Quartet’s refined balance and phrasing create a halo of sound around Dean’s clarinet that’s as ravishing as the music itself.