Right after
Mozart and
Brahms, every clarinet player's favorite composer is Weber. He wrote a delightful concertino, an exquisite quintet, and not one but two terrific concertos for them. Each one is unique, wonderful, and extremely gratifying to play. Gratifying, that is, for those who can play them: Weber's works for clarinet are amazingly difficult to play at all and even more difficult to perform with the bravura virtuosity they demand.
Sabine Meyer's 1985 recordings of Weber's clarinet works were controversial in their time -- some thought her too dramatic, some too polished, some too reserved -- but time was on
Meyer's side and her performances have come to be regarded as classic recordings, poised, polished, and yet still passionate. But even at the time,
Meyer's performances were recognized for their virtuosity and expressivity and even those who couldn't warm to her interpretations had to acknowledge her technical brilliance and tonal beauty. Re-mastered and re-issued in 2003,
Meyer's performances sound better than they ever have, with the slight glare of EMI's early digital sound reduced and the presence of the instruments increased.