descripção
Frantisek Kramar was one of many Bohemian musicians who gained fame in Austria, Germany, and other Western European countries and then Germanized their names -- in his case to Franz Krommer. He was regarded as a serious rival to Beethoven, particularly in the genre of the string quartet. With the passage of time he has come to be regarded as a worthy but lesser figure, and his concertos for wind instruments are considered the best of his output.
Nothing is known of the history of this concerto, other than the fact it is this was also arranged for clarinete by J. Küffner this concerto is considerably Romantic in style. The presumably prior concerto is noteworthy for its emphasis on lyricism, but this concerto puts drama first. In a manner similar to a device used by Weber, rapid shifts from minor to major keep the atmosphere stormy and unsettled, The orchestra used is a full orchestra of the period, with winds (including horns, but not trumpets) in pairs.
The concerto is in the standard three-movement form, with the first movement, Allegro, about twice the length of either of the others. Krommer slightly truncates the standard concerto feature of starting the work with a full exposition for the orchestra only, followed by a repeated exposition with solo; in this case, he presents the first subject in the orchestra, but introduces the clarinet at this point to repeat the opening theme. The second subject -- perhaps the most dramatic and memorable theme in the score -- appears only at this point and on the solo instrument. The transition from the fiery development section to the recapitulation introduces a brand-new theme.
The second movement, Adagio, is in a simple song form, while the finale is a sparkling, yet still Romantically emotional rondo requiring considerable technical skill.
First Modern Edition based on the autograph score, with reference to the first edition parts (Vienna, Magasin de l'imprimerie chimique, 1812)