Concertpiece No. 2 - SMC202 | Muziek

Concertpiece No. 2 begins with an agitated d minor passage for full ensemble. Towards the middle of this section, the mood lightens momentarily leading to short cadenzas for each of the solo instruments before the movement ends with a brilliant unison flourish in the minor key. Horns and bassoons usher in the second movement in a quieter and more somber mood, featuring the lower solo instrument accompanying the upper in glowing arpeggios; the instruments move together as a pair or in imitation of one another. The finale is light hearted and gay, full of obvious enjoyment in which the technical resources of the solo instruments are exploited to the limit, concluding with a brilliant duo cadenza.

Harry Gee arranged this piece for two clarinets and wind band.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1947) is one of the few composers whose greatness was recognized at an early age. He showed all the qualities of a child prodigy, and with the enthusiastic support of his wealthy parents, he was able to develop into a mature composer while still in his teens. In July of 1832, he returned from London to Berlin for a busy season of concerts ans composing. It is known that at this time, the duo clarinet virtuosy, Heinrich Josef Baermann (father) and Carl Baermann (son) passed through Berlin on their way to concert engagements in Russia, asking Mendelssohn for a new work for them to perform. The 23 year old composer responded with the Concertpiece No. 1 in f minor, op. 113, written for clarinett, basset horn (a form of alto clarinet, pitched in F, and equipped with keys to extend the range of the instrument downwards to low F), and piano. The first performance of this piece, on January 5, 1833 was such a success that Baermann asked for a second work, resulting in the Concertpiece No. 2 in d minor, op. 114. Both of these pieces are composed in three sections, fas-slow-fast, resembling a concertino form, but somewhat shorter; typical of Mendelssohn's works for solo instrument, they open in the minor, shifting to major for the slow movement and finale sections. These brilliant pieces date from some of Mendelssohns mist felicitous times as a composer, being contremporary with the "Italian Symphony" and "FIngal's Cave (The Hebrides) OVerture". The high opus numbers that these compositions bear are not related to the time of composition, but indicate that these pieces were published posthumously, with opus numbers assigned at the time of publication.
The Concertpiece No. 1 survives in two autograph scores, the original for the two solo instruments and piano and in a version for two solo clarinets with orchestral accompaniment. No autograph scores to Concertipiece No. 2 are known to exist, but a copy of the orchestral score to this work (possibly made by Baermann) is located in the Bavarian State Library in Munich.