The chief attraction of this Czech release is the Quintet for clarinet and strings in B flat major, Op. 89, by Anton Reicha (who here gets his Bohemian spelling, Antonín Rejcha). One of two clarinet quintets by Reicha, it was composed sometime before 1820, when it was published in Paris. It's an attractive work, with basic dialogues between clarinet and string quartet opening up into spaces for the clarinetist to show her stuff. Soloist Ludmila Peterková is not the creamiest-toned of clarinetists, but she and the Bennewitz Quartet get the liveliness of this work. Elsewhere there's nothing unpleasant about this album, which follows the tried-and-true program formula of a pair of standard repertory works plus a short contemporary piece. But neither is there much that's fresh or attention-getting. The Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581, is straightforward and somewhat plain, and Ondrej Kukal's Clarinettino, Op. 11, subtitled "Concertino for clarinet and strings" and composed in 1990, is a rhythmically intense piece on neo-classic models. Peterková surmounts some technical challenges here, but the work is unlikely to stick with listeners. This release has Supraphon's usual gently warm sound, but it's of most interest to those interested in the underrecorded Reicha.
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