During the Offering at Pender UMC’s Traditional Service on August 21, 2022 we were treated to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622: II. Adagio played by Director of Music Ministries, Brian Stevenson accompanied by Liz Eunji Sellers.
Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto was the last major instrumental composition he composed; it was likely premiered in Prague on October 16, 1791, less than two months before his untimely death at age 35.
From Wikipedia: “The slow second movement is a marvel of artful simplicity; its undisturbed, serene beauty make it one of Mozart’s loveliest creations. Reflecting Mozart’s skill as an opera composer, it is effectively a three-part aria for the clarinet, which assumes the role of a soprano singer. The movement begins with a long melody whose phrases are introduced by the clarinet and then echoed by the orchestra. A central section focuses completely on the soloist, whose part includes more ornamental figuration. The opening melody then returns in abbreviated form, followed by a coda.”
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