253. Small Packages

The Concert - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Works for clarinet and piano by Berg and Weber performed by Raphaël Sévère, clarinet and Paul Montag, piano on October 23, 2016.

• Berg: Four Pieces, Op. 5
• Weber: Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48

On this podcast, number 253, we’ve got a couple great pieces that come in smaller packages than you might expect: a set of four miniatures by Berg and a duet masquerading as a concerto, by Carl Maria von Weber. Both pieces are scored for clarinet and piano, performed by clarinetist Raphaël Sévère and pianist Paul Montag.

Berg’s “Four Pieces”, Opus 5 is a petite suite of four movements, each lasting less than two minutes. Though brief, each piece makes an impactful and evocative musical statement. The music is atonal but pleasingly melodic, like much of the composer’s work.

The Berg serves to whet our appetite for a slightly more substantial work: Carl Maria von Weber’s “Grand Duo Concertant,” Opus 48. Weber wrote this virtuosic duet over a couple of years leading up to his 30th birthday. It requires a true partnership between the woodwind and the keyboard, with both taking on critical roles musically.