Hoffmeister: 6 Clarinet Quartets Eddy Vanoosthuyse & Zemlinksy String Quartet

• Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754 - 1812): Quartet VI in D:
• 1 Hoffmeister: Quartet VI in D: I. Allegro 03:48
• 2 Hoffmeister: Quartet VI in D: II. Adagio 02:17
• 3 Hoffmeister: Quartet VI in D: III. Menuetto 02:57
• 4 Hoffmeister: Quartet VI in D: IV. Rondo 01:43
• Quartet IV in Bb:
• 5 Hoffmeister: Quartet IV in Bb: I. Allegro 04:06
• 6 Hoffmeister: Quartet IV in Bb: II. Andante 03:57
• 7 Hoffmeister: Quartet IV in Bb: III. Menuetto 02:49
• Quartet V in Eb:
• 8 Hoffmeister: Quartet V in Eb: I. Allegro 04:02
• 9 Hoffmeister: Quartet V in Eb: II. Andante 02:07
• 10 Hoffmeister: Quartet V in Eb: III. Menuetto 03:35
• Quartet I in Bb:
• 11 Hoffmeister: Quartet I in Bb: I. Allegro 03:29
• 12 Hoffmeister: Quartet I in Bb: II. Menuetto 03:16
• 13 Hoffmeister: Quartet I in Bb: III. Un poco Adagio 01:39
• 14 Hoffmeister: Quartet I in Bb: IV. Rondo 03:05
• Quartet II in Eb:
• 15 Hoffmeister: Quartet II in Eb: I. Allegro 04:33
• 16 Hoffmeister: Quartet II in Eb: II. Andante 01:56
• 17 Hoffmeister: Quartet II in Eb: III. Rondo 02:22
• Quartet III in A:
• 18 Hoffmeister: Quartet III in A: I. Andante 01:57
• 19 Hoffmeister: Quartet III in A: II. Allegro 01:35
• Total Runtime 55:13

Info for Hoffmeister: 6 Clarinet Quartets

Hoffmeister’s oeuvre is quite an extensive catalogue with a remarkable number of works for flute. Several flute concertos and numerous chamber line-ups in which the flute predominates, are at the forefront. Since the flute was very popular at the time, not only the composer but also the publisher in Hoffmeister prospered. The quality of his music was high, and Hoffmeister became one of the best-known composers of his time. With nine operas, all performed scenically in the prominent Viennese theatres, he did better than many others. Schubert, for instance, could never attend a performance of one of his own operas during his lifetime.

These 6 quartets are among the most frequently played works in Hoffmeister’s rich oeuvre. It is exciting to notice that more and more prominent musicians, conductors and ensembles are rediscovering Hoffmeister’s work. This renewed interest is the best proof that quality will always prevail.

The rediscovery of the six clarinet quartets’ first edition by Eddy Vanoosthuyse brought the three temporarily lost quartets back into their initial series of six quartets how Franz Anton Hoffmeister put them together. Also the foreseen release of both volumes scores with three quartets each as it had been edited by Ignace Pleyel is epoch making and it is certainly an important contribution for the completion of Hoffmeister’s work list to perform. Therefore, this complete recording of all six clarinet quartets is highly unique.

Making recordings with top musicians is no mean feat in times of Corona, but Eddy Vanoosthuyse did not have to go on any complicated journey: the six quartets were recorded in the Chamber Music Hall of the Concertgebouw in Bruges. For the Zemlinsky Quartet, which tours the world without any worry whatsoever in normal times, the situation was de- cidedly different. Checks, repeated tests in Prague and Brussels, and the utmost caution on every trip were mandatory. In spite of these setbacks, however, the five musicians were gung-ho, and presented themselves in optimal form at their stands. They were looking very much forward to tackling the Hoffmeister quartets: the enthusiasm to cooperate in a full-blown pandemic, and to take on this adventure together in order to achieve a perfect interpretation, was immense.

Eddy Vanoosthuyse, clarinet
Zemlinsky Quartet

ddy Vanoosthuyse
received his first lessons from his father. He furthered his studies with Hendrik Six (Municipal Music Conservatory Kortrijk), Freddy Coppé (Kunsthumaniora for Music Ghent) and Freddy Arteel (Royal Music Conservatory Ghent).

He started his artistic career very young as clarinet soloist at the ‘Opera voor Vlaanderen’, later he became the principal clarinet of the new orchestra of the Flemish Opera, a position he exchanged for that at the Brussels Philharmonic (formerly BRT Philharmonic Orchestra). He also teaches clarinet at the Royal Conservatory of Music Ghent (Hogeschool Gent/School of Arts) and at the Fontys Academy for Music and Performing Arts Tilburg.

He has made solo recordings with SONY, Decca, EMI, Naxos, Briljant Classic, Aeon, Talent, Gobelin and Phaedra as well as radio and TV recordings for BRTN/VRT, RTBF, VARA, Radio Suisse Romande, Magyar Radio, Czech Radio, Slovanian Radio, Danish Radio, Lietuvos Radio, Chili Radio and Exqui.

Vanoosthuyse has worked with some of the most prominent composers of his time such as Olivier Messiaen, John Corigliano, Alfred Reed, Hans Zimmer. He has created about 50 such works dedicated to him, including works by Arturo Marquez, Oscar winner Nicola Piovani, Dirk Brossé, Johan Duijck, Jan Van der Roost, Scott McAllister, Wilfried Westerlinck, Roland Coryn, Oscar Navarro, Eric Desimpelaere, Norbert Goddaer, Alfred Prinz, Piet Swerts, Wim Henderickx, André Laporte, Jean Louel, Raymond Decancq, Alain Crepin, David Loeb, Marc Matthys, Frits Celis, etc.

He has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Simon Bolivar Orchestra / Caracas, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Stanislavsky Theater Moscow, Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, I Pommerigi Musicale Milano, Symphony Orchestra Flanders, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta, ChengDu Symphony (China), Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Free State Symphony (South Africa), Beethoven Academy / Krakow, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, Kansas Sinfonietta, Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Symphony Orchestra), Sofia Soloists, and many others with conductors such asFernand Terby, Silveer Vandenbroeck, Georges Octors, Yoel Levi, Michel Tabachnic, Peter Oundjian, Saulius Sondeckis, Paul Meyer, Jan Lathem-Koenig, Dirk Brossé, Jan Stulen etc.

Because of his love for the concert band, he has performed with the Royal Symphonic Windbands of the Belgian Guides, Navy and Air Force, the Royal Military Band of the Netherlands, the Symphonic Windband of the Honor Guard Lithuania (of which he was the permanent guest conductor for 4 years), the US Army Band, Simon Bolivar Symphonic Windorchestra / Caracas (which he also conducted) and other orchestras in France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy.

In addition, Vanoosthuyse has performed Mozart’s quintet more than 150 times (as well as other quintets) with various international string quartets such as the Ysaÿe Quartet and Ensemble, Ciurlionis Quartet, Vilnius Quartet, Simon Bolivar Quartet, Daniel Quartet, Arriaga Quartet, Roman Quartet, Bangkok Quartet, Beijing String Quartet, Odeion String Quartet and his own ensemble.

He performed at the Festival of Flanders, Klara Festival, Festival of Wallonia, Festival of Contemporary Music ARS MUSICA, November Festival, Festival de Bourgogne, Mozart Festival, Ljubljana Festival, Vilnius Festival, Janáček Festival, Extravaganza Festival, Beijing Festival, Festival Domaine Forget Charlevoix-Québec, Holland Festival, Caracas Festival, etc. in almost all European countries, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, USA, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and South Africa.

Vanoosthuyse is the artistic manager of International Music Promotion, the prestigious International Clarinet Competition Ghent and Clarinets on Stage. He sits on the jury of various international competitions and teaches at universities and conservatories in 5 continents. Since 2017 he is chairman of the "International Art Competition Singapore". In 2010, he was the co-founder of the European Clarinet Association that was officialized in the Townhall of his hometown Kortrijk.

In April 2020, he was elected by his colleagues as the Vice President of the prestigious International Clarinet Association, the world organization of the clarinet.

Eddy Vanoosthuyse was selected for the World Philharmonic Orchestra (Georges Prêtres) and invited to the Symphonicum Europea (Lincoln Center Fisher Hall, New York).

Vanoosthuyse exclusively plays the Buffet Crampon ‘TOSCA’ Clarinets and the Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds.

This album contains no booklet.