Martin Frost Elevates the Clarinet to the Front of the House
Martin Fröst isn’t just a clarinetist—he’s a revolutionary force in classical music. Known for directing a 22-piece string orchestra while simultaneously performing lead clarinet on complex works by Bach and Mozart, Fröst pushes the boundaries of what a soloist can do. His virtuosity spans genres from Klezmer to Rhumba, often performed while incorporating elements of modern dance. With a blend of technical brilliance, theatricality, and genre-defying innovation, Fröst brings the clarinet to center stage like never before.
I played the clarinet in elementary school, guided by my music teacher Fred Sharp, affectionately known as “F Sharp” by the precocious students who recognized the irony early on. However, my journey with the clarinet faced an unexpected detour. After enduring the challenges of jaw-breaking orthodontics—a slow readjustment process that involved a screw-turning device at the top of my mouth—I had to retire my Eb clarinet. This “medical procedure,” sanctioned at the time, was an excruciating experience at Dr. Wasserman’s office. After three years, I took a break from the clarinet for two years, only to return to the alto saxophone, a close woodwind cousin. Luckily, my embouchure remained intact, allowing my musical journey to continue.
Martin Frost is a clarinetist extraordinaire. My late discovery of his immense talent and proficiency came while writing the “Why Amadeus” article. Whether he is playing Mozart concertos for clarinet, Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn compositions, Rumbas by Chick Corea, or klezmer dances with a fantastic klezmer band, he excels with fluidity, expertise, perfect articulation, and control—all delivered with humility.
While much can be learned about this artist through simple Google searches or Wiki visits, I find that the best way to appreciate him is through the intimate connection we share with his performances on YouTube. Each piece reveals the depth of his artistry and the clarinet’s rich, expressive voice. Martin Frost elevates the clarinet, bringing it front and center in a way that resonates deeply with both audiences and fellow musicians alike.
As we move into 2024 and beyond, Frost’s musical journey continues to flourish. He is not just a performer but a collaborator at heart, frequently teaming up with diverse artists across genres. His recent collaborations have included innovative projects with contemporary composers, breathing new life into classical pieces while exploring the boundaries of jazz and world music. Each performance is a masterclass in musical conversation, where Frost’s clarinet weaves seamlessly into the fabric of every ensemble.
Beyond his performance career, Frost is also dedicated to teaching and inspiring the next generation of musicians. He has embraced opportunities to conduct workshops and masterclasses, sharing his wealth of knowledge with aspiring clarinetists and woodwind players. His emphasis on both technical proficiency and artistic expression encourages students to find their unique voices, reminding them that music is not just about the notes but the emotions they convey. In these sessions, he often reflects on his own journey, imparting wisdom on resilience and the joy of musical exploration.
Looking ahead, the future is bright for Martin Frost. His ability to adapt and embrace new musical challenges ensures that he will remain a vital force in the music world, continually pushing the boundaries of what the clarinet can achieve. As he stands at the forefront of orchestras, in intimate small group settings, or alongside innovative bands, Frost is not just elevating the clarinet; he is inspiring all of us to listen more deeply and appreciate the art of music in all its forms.
On Discovering the Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Martin Fröst’s deep connection to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, is evident in his reflections on the piece and his collaborations with fellow musicians.
Fröst’s journey with the clarinet began at age eight when his father introduced him to a recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto performed by Jack Brymer and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He recalls:
“I listened to this recording a lot and then my father brought a clarinet home and I started to practise. The second movement of the concerto… I was right into Mozart, right from the beginning.”
On the Clarinet’s Expressive Qualities
Fröst describes the clarinet’s unique ability to bridge silence and sound:
“It’s the thin line between silence and sound: that’s the soul of the clarinet… there’s a sort of magic. As a player, when I start a note from nothing and I feel the sound, you can hear the vibration before it starts, you can feel it physically in your body and there’s something whispering in your body before it starts.”
On the Mozart Clarinet Concerto’s Significance
Fröst regards the concerto as a cornerstone of the clarinet repertoire:
“For a clarinet player the Mozart concerto is part of your life. For me, he was the one who invented the solo for clarinet and invented it for all the other composers. With his second movement you can see the whole repertoire through the Romantic: Schumann, Brahms, Weber. Everything is so related to Mozart in terms of sound and structure. Mozart is the creator of the clarinet spirit, I would say.”
On Collaborating with Orchestras
Fröst emphasizes the importance of understanding orchestral works to deepen one’s interpretation of solo pieces:
“If you are going to study the Mozart concerto, you should definitely go through all the symphonies – maybe from 31 to 41 – read them, listen to them, and see what he did with the instruments to learn a little bit more about the concerto.”
His performances are noted for their dynamic interaction with orchestras, often incorporating movement and expressive gestures that enhance the musical dialogue. In a performance with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, he was described as taking the stage with “a unique combination of acrobatic poses,” engaging both musically and physically with the ensemble.
Sources:
Martin Fröst: A Conversation with a Legend*
by Erin Vander Wyst
Believing in the music: Martin Fröst and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
By Sarah Batschelet, 22 March 2019
More Mozart Unwrapped: Mozart and the Clarinet
27/04/2011 by Stan
Martin Frost Plays Mozart Import, Hybrid SACD
One of a small handful of truly international wind players, Martin Frost mesmerizes audiences throughout the world, whether he is performing one of the several concertos that have been composed especially for him or core repertoire such as the sonatas by Brahms, the concertante pieces by Weber or, indeed, the clarinet works by W.a. Mozart. Released 10 years ago, in 2003, Frost’s first recording of the Concerto in a major is one of the best-selling discs in BIS’ history. Returning to this glorious work, he now also directs the eminent Deutsche Kammer Philharmonie Bremen himself. For the couplings on this very special release, Martin Frost has assembled a truly star-studded group of musician friends, with Leif Ove Andsnes and Antoine Tamestit partnering him in the so-called Kegelstatt Trio, and with Janine Jansen, Boris Brovtsyn, Maxim Rysanov and Torleif Thedeen joining him in the rarely heard Allegro for Clarinet and String Quartet, K Anh.91. Probably composed in 1787 – two years before the famous Quintet in a major for the same forces – the Allegro, in the extant autograph manuscript, breaks off after 93 bars, or three bars into the development section. If Mozart completed the movement and for what purpose he intended it isn’t known, but the completion made by Robert Levin adds to the modern clarinetist’s repertoire a work of great imagination that would otherwise have languished unperformed.
Review
“…the Swede has a sound of silver that is irresistibly dulcet, and the recording quality is ideal.” –Listen Winter Reviews, 2013
Martin Fröst – Mozart – Adagio from Clarinet Concerto in A Major
Martin Fröst plays Adagio, the second movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major K 622, from his new double album Mozart: Ecstasy and Abyss, a collection of masterworks that capture the paradox of Mozart’s fragile existence and extraordinary creativity.
For the first time, Martin Fröst has recorded as both performer and conductor, leading the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, of which he is chief conductor, in Mozart’s “Prague” and “Jupiter” Symphonies, Piano Concerto no. 25 (with soloist Lucas Debargue), arias from the opera’s La clemenza di Tito (with Ann Hallenberg) and Idomeneo (with Elin Rombo) and his third recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.
“There has never been a more important time for his music; I feel that the music of the Enlightenment has gained a new relevance in our era of desolation, where we must create and recreate hope.”, says Fröst.
Each of the release’s two albums focused on a moment in Mozart’s life when the composer appeared to teeter between triumph and disaster, joy and depression, life and death. These moments brought the composer’s music of the most extraordinary beauty and intensity.
Martin Fröst, Mozart Clarinet Concerto part 2
Mozarts clarinet
Martin Fröst plays Mozart Clarinet Concerto part 2
Martin Fröst, Mozart Clarinet Concerto part 3
Martinsson Concert Fantastique / Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra / Fröst / Alsop
The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsed Martinsson´s Concert Fantastique with soloist Martin Frost clarinet, conducted by Marin Alsop. *** Watch full-length concert videos on Konserthuset Play: https://www.konserthuset.se/en/play World-class streaming with online concerts and live streams. All for free, no login is needed.
Martin Fröst Chick Corea – Armando’s Rhumba
Happy to share this Chick Corea – Armando’s Rhumba recording which I did for the Martin Fröst Foundation together with my dear friends: Hermann Stefánsson clarinet Margreet Houtman clarinet Wojciech Sokołowski clarinet Som Howie clarinet Kristofer Sundström bass Fredrik Gille percussion Arrangement Göran Fröst Transcription Henrik Nordström Audio & Video Hans Kipfer Take5 Music Production Buffet Crampon
MARTIN FRÖST plays Ave Maria: BACH/GOUNOD
Write Like Mozart: An Introduction to Classical Music Composition
This course introduces students to strategies for style writing of common practice European art music. The issues of harmonic progression, voice leading, and texture are addressed in addition to relevant compositional concepts like repetition, variation, and elaboration. The course aims to offer a creative space even within the restrictions of stylistic emulation.
Fröst over the world 2011
Martin Fröst plays Nielsen, Mozart, Brahms, Högberg and more.
night passages vallflickans dans 2160p
72 views Premiered 46 minutes ago
Herd Maiden’s Dance
filmed by Hans Kipfer
Retrotopia trailer 4 Nomadia 3 2
Martin Fröst performs David Bowie/Martin Fröst’s “Nature Boy” at the Verbier Festival 2022
Singing-playing technique by Martin Fröst
BACH Concerto BWV 1043 Largo | BALDEYROU/FROST/ARRIGNON
Klezmer (Yiddish: קלעזמער) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these would have been played at weddings and other social functions.
The musical genre incorporated elements of many other musical genres, including Ottoman (predominantly Greek and Romanian) music, Baroque music, German and Slavic folk dances, and Jewish religious music. When klezmer arrived in the United States, it lost some of its traditional ritual elements and adopted elements of American big bands and popular music. Among the European-born klezmers who popularized the United States in the 1910s and 1920s were Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein, followed by American-born musicians such as Max Epstein, Sid Beckerman, and Ray Musiker. Jewish life decimated in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust, and a general fall in the popularity of klezmer music in the United States. The music began to be popularized again in the late 1970s in the so-called Klezmer Revival. During the 1980s and onwards, musicians experimented with traditional and experimental forms of the genre, releasing fusion albums combining the genre with jazz, punk, and other styles.
Martin Fröst – Klezmer Dance – Göran Fröst: Verbier Festival 2016
Surprise Concert: medici.tv 10 years at the Verbier Festival Göran Fröst – Klezmer Dance No. 2 for Clarinet and String Septet Martin Fröst clarinet with members of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra . Recorded at the Verbier Festival 2016, in the Salle des Combins (Verbier, Switzerland), on July 27, 2016. © Idéale Audience
Martin Fröst plays Klezmer dances by Göran Fröst:
Martin Fröst, clarinet Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Best of Dance in Mask
Anders Hillborg: Clarinet concerto
Played performed and conducted by Martin Fröst Orchestra Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Clarinet students meet Martin Fröst l Buffet Crampon
he “CRR de Rueil Malmaison” clarinet students meet Martin Fröst for a special lesson at Buffet Crampon’s Showroom in Paris. During this masterclass, the students, under the guidance of Martin Fröst, learned to play “Armando’s Rhumba” by Chick Corea with Prodige clarinets.
https://www.coolmediallc.com/yo-yo-ma-bach-project/