Clarinetist Michael Collins enchants the Verbier Festival stage with works by Mozart, Weber, and Poulenc.
One of today’s most accomplished artists on his instrument, the English clarinetist Michael Collins graced the stage of the Verbier Festival in 2007 to present a chamber music concert of works for clarinet and piano. He was joined by French pianist Julien Quentin, a Verbier Festival regular.
The concert began with a marvelous performance of Mozart's Sonata for Violin and Piano "Strinasacchi", K. 454, (transcribed for clarinet by Collins himself), followed by Weber’s magnificent Grand Duo for clarinet and piano, in which the talented musical team’s fluid communication and musicality was center stage. For their closing work, the duo played Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. Composed for jazz clarinet legend Benny Goodman and premiered with Leonard Bernstein at the piano, Michael Collins performance of this tour de force for his instrument demonstrated him to be a master of the clarinet and a worthy successor to Goodman.
