For his first album as an exclusive Erato artist, the French clarinettist Pierre Génisson focuses on his instrument’s most inspired 18th century advocate: Mozart. The centrepiece of his programme is the composer’s sublime clarinet concerto. “The spiritual and symbolic scope of this concerto is immense,” says Génisson. “Every time I come back to this masterwork, I experience the same thrill as when I discover a piece for the first time … Mozart and the clarinet – what a special combination!” Génisson is established as one of today’s leading French wind instrumentalists. A multi-faceted soloist, and a frequent guest with orchestras around the world, he trained in Paris at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. His repertoire ranges from Mozart to jazz by way of folk music, and his lively interest in new music has led to collaborations with a number of prominent composers. Collaborating on this album with the period instruments of Concerto Köln and conductor Jakob Lehmann, Génisson plays period clarinets, copies of instruments from Mozart’s time, and modern clarinets specially crafted for the recording. The programme complements the sublime concerto with a number of shorter pieces. In two arias from La clemenza di Tito Génisson partners mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes, but his clarinet also ‘sings’ the vocal lines in arrangements of numbers from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro. Rounding out the album is a new arrangement by Bruno Fontaine of the ‘Lacrimosa’ from the Requiem, made for clarinet, organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano.