Mozart's enthusiasm for the clarinet developed early and reached its zenith in the last seven years of his life through his stimulating friendship with the talented clarinetist Anton Stadler. An active Freemason, Stadler contributed significantly to the instrument's technical evolution. This collaboration resulted in important compositions such as the Quintet K. 581 and the Concerto K. 622. By extending the clarinet's range downwards, Stadler may have laid the foundation for these works.
For years, Mozart composed pieces specifically for Stadler's clarinet and basset horn. Contemporaries admired Stadler's exceptional skill on these instruments. The clarinet's ability to sensitively imitate human voices was particularly praised. Together with his colleague Lotz, Stadler worked on expanding the clarinet's tonal spectrum, leading to a new type of instrument for which Mozart wrote his works.
The fruitful collaboration between the two artists resulted in the creation of significant compositions, including the Quintet, which was first performed in 1789. Later documents suggest, however, that parts of the original scores may have been altered. This recording, featuring the historical basset clarinet, offers an authentic interpretation of these works. Although there is a temporal gap between the quintet and the concerto, both compositions reveal Mozart's characteristic style and his refined compositional technique.