Brahms Clarinet Quintet

The muses were Ancient Greek goddesses of inspiration. Throughout
history, the term muse has been used to describe any number of
people, all of whom inspired works of great art and/or
literature. In the popular imagination, muses are almost always
women, inspiring brilliant men to their greatest artistic
achievements. Why am I bringing this up? Because in the case of
the piece we are going to talk about today, the Brahms Clarinet
Quintet, the muse, and the source of inspiration, was very
different. In 1890, Brahms retired from composing. In a way this
was very rare. Composers very rarely retired, and most went on
composing until their deaths, leaving unfinished works, but
Brahms declared that he had nothing left to contribute, and that
a younger generation should take over. He was only 57 years old,
but he had become embittered both with the world of music and
with the world as a whole. His 4th symphony had ended in a kind
of apocalyptic destruction of the symphonic genre as a whole; a
paroxysm of disillusionment with the direction music was going
and with the direction of politics in Europe. But in March of
1891, Brahms heard a clarinetist named Richard Muhlfeld. Muhlfeld
quickly became, for lack of a better word, Brahms’ muse. His
playing directly inspired Brahms to write 4 works for the
clarinet, a trio, 2 sonatas, and a quintet, the topic for today’s
show. The clarinet quintet is practically the definition of the
so-called autumnal Brahms. The clarinet quintet is one of Brahms’
most expansive chamber works, and it is Brahms at his most
wistful, nostalgic, and even tragic. Today on the show I’ll take
you through this magisterial work, exploring all of the things
that make this piece so special, so touching, and so
unforgettable. Join us!