Mozart composed his clarinet concerto and clarinet quintet not only for a particular clarinetist, but also for a specific instrument. In fact, the original clarinetist, Anton Stadler, played a clarinet that went lower than the clarinet in a commonly used today. Hence, in many contemporary performances, the clarinet part is adapted to the modern position. Michael Collins, however, here uses a basset
… clarinet (in tenor position) with which the low tones can also be caught. The complementary concerto by Richard Birchall was also composed for a basset clarinet. This concerto, dedicated to Michael Collins, was inspired by the graphic work of M.C. Escher. (HJ)more
