Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Concerto for Clarinet in A, K. 622

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) completed his three-movement Concerto for Clarinet in A, K. 622 on a few weeks before his death in 1791, and it is considered his last great completed work. It was composed originally for the basset clarinet, an instrument invented by Mozart's close friend, Anton Stadler, the most gifted clarinetist in Vienna, and the person for whom the concerto was written. The basset clarinet had an extended lower range of which it is believed Mozart made use, but the original manuscript was lost after Mozart's death, and the published version was altered to be playable by more standard clarinets. The work was likely first performed by Stadler on the basset clarinet in Prague on October 16, 1791. As Mozart died in December in Vienna, it is highly unlikely that the composer heard his work performed. Instrumentation: 2.0.0.2: 2.0.0.0: Str (4-4-3-3-3 in set): Solo Clarinet in set.