[SACD-R][OF] Martin Fröst (Frost), Vertavo String Quartet, Amsterdam Sinfonietta - Mozart - Clarinet Concerto & Quintet - 2003 (Classical)

International Record Review 2011 edition
Better recorded performances of these towering masterpieces may exist, but I have never heard them. In their technical proficiency, style consciousness and broad, yet never exaggerated emotional range, they shine as major achievements.

Reviews:
Review by John Broggio - March 17, 2007
This is simply fantastic playing, albeit a little closely miked in the final analysis.
The concerto is one of Mozart's most beautiful compositions - and that is saying something! The opening is sprightly, with a great lithe sound and sprung rhythms from the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Fröst plays a basset clarinet which pays dividends when the music wends its way beneath middle C and has the benefit of being the original instrument for which this music was written. Supplying his own cadenzas, Fröst is wonderfully imaginative and creative with his playing. The sublime joy that is the slow movement is given a tender, delicate yet assured performance; one can picture a glorious golden summers' sunset even in the depths of winter - this is music that will fill even the coldest heart with a glow. Unlike many accounts from the pre-HIP revolution, the finale is taken at a sprightly Allegro tempo which is almost dance like in this conception. Not that there are any clumping accents to beware of when sitting and enjoying the display of completely self-effacing virtuosity. An utter joy.
Compared to Mozart: Chamber Music for Winds and Strings - Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the quintet's first movement has much more forward momentum and fantasy; listening to this one cannot imagine it being played any other way and what could be a better compliment than that? The slow movement is, if anything, finer in the way that Fröst plays with the Vertavo String Quartet. The Menuetto is very much rendered as a dance and is wholly convincing in approach. The delicacy of interplay in the finale is a joy to behold - this is playing totally at the service of the music; the marvels are all of Mozart's composition which is a characteristic of very fine playing indeed.
The sound is too closely miked in the quintet for my liking, although the balance is well managed. Fortunately, this is far less an issue in the concerto, where everything is as delightfully done as one could wish for in this repertoire.
Recommended with a caveat about the closeness of Fröst in the quintet.
Review by Chris September 21, 2004
Performance: 5 Sonics: 5
Another brilliant SACD from BIS. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is a major masterpiece that unfolds as naturally as a flower. And from soloist Martin Fröst we are getting an interpretation that IMO is almost as close to perfection as the piece itself.
Not only is Martin Fröst's playing fantastic, he has also been given a recording that is as truly marvellous as is his playing. Rarely have I heard a chamber orchestra or a clarinet recorded as realistically as here.
Ok, the clarinet may be a tad close but it definitely sounds as close to life as I've ever heard in a recording.
Strings are velvety, transparent and natural in a way that I thought only analogue could deliver. And not only is Martin Fröst's playing brilliant, the Amsterdam Sinfonietta under the direction of Peter Oundjian is equally supportive and excellent.
The filler, if that's the right term for a piece that is actually longer in duration than the Concerto, Mozart's Clarinet Quintet KV 581, is also very good. In some ways it is like a miniature version of the Concerto with more than superficial similarities. But good as it definitely is. I would have recommended this disc strongly even if it had only contained the Concerto.
My only available comparison is the CD version of the Concerto played by Anthony Michaelson of Musical Fidelity. But although by no means bad, his playing is no match for Martin Fröst, nor can the CD compare soundwise to BIS's very airy, natural and realistic DSD sound.

Review by GBL2001 May 10, 2006
Performance: 5 Sonics: 5
The Clarinet concerto from Mozart is one of my favorites.
I had already different version but until now I was never 100 % satisfied.
Or the interpretation was not on the top or the recording.
With this version I finally find my happiness.
Warmly recommended.