Roeland Hendrikx, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie - The Clarinet as Prima Donna

This recording celebrates Carl Maria von Weber's unrivalled talent to turn the clarinet into an opera diva, to make it talk, sing, cry and shine. Belgian virtuoso Roeland Hendrikx also teams up with award-winning arranger Andreas Tarkmann and the Rheinische Philharmonie to solve a number of other riddles surrounding the first German Romantic.

What was the division of labour between Weber and his clarinettist of choice, Heinrich Baermann?

How much Baermann do we have to scrape off to meet the real Weber? And crucially, how much Tarkmann do we have to inject to find the full Weber?

Tilkin conducts the Rheinische Philharmonie sympathetically, and Hendrikx plays brilliantly throughout, rattling off the dizzying final pages of the Second Concerto at breakneck speed. � BBC Music Magazine (Performance 4 STARS, Recording 4 STARS)