Carl Maria von Weber
Clarinet Concerto No. 1, Op. 73I. Allegro
Dark F-minor concerto drama written weeks after the Concertino for Baermann — from con duolo lyricism to unbridled virtuosity.
At a glance
Clarinet and orchestra (often studied with piano reduction). Advanced — late high-school diploma-track, college, and professional. Movement I contrasts a great dark orchestral introduction with lyrical keening (con duolo) and brilliant passagework. Exam guides place the concerto around difficulty 7–9 (advanced / beyond Grade 8).
Composer & composition
Composition after the Concertino
After the 5 April 1811 Munich premiere of the Concertino before King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the monarch immediately commissioned two clarinet concertos for Heinrich Baermann. Weber composed Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 (J. 114) in only a few weeks — roughly 18 April to 17 May 1811 — written for and dedicated to Baermann of the Munich Hofkapelle. It premiered 13 June 1811. Concerto No. 2 in E-flat, Op. 74 (J. 118) followed the same year. The high opus numbers reflect later publication (sold to a Berlin publisher in 1822), not late composition.
The Allegro opens with one of the great orchestral introductions in the concerto repertoire — dark, dramatic minor-key writing — before the soloist answers with a lyrical, keening con duolo (“with sorrow”) melody. The movement’s arc moves from dark melancholy toward brilliance, informed by Weber’s operatic instincts.
Structure / listening map
Orchestral introduction
F minor
Dark, dramatic opening — among the great concerto introductions; cello-led colours and full winds/brass/timpani later.
Solo entrance (con duolo)
Lyrical, keening melody “with sorrow,” entering from silence after the introduction.
Virtuosic development & climax
Triplet and sixteenth-note passagework; building to fff tutti climax; cadenza artistry in many modern readings.
Reference performances
1Jörg Widmann · WDR Symphony Orchestra
Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Widmann / WDR)
Full concerto (~22:43); Widmann plays and conducts; live 28 Sept 2019, Kölner Philharmonie.
- Selection reason
- By far the highest view count of any single Weber Concerto No. 1 upload found; composer-clarinetist interpretive command.
- Pedagogical value
- Watch a leading musician shape drama from the podium; hear full orchestral texture a student with piano must imagine.
- View count
- ~255,000 views
2Andreas Ottensamer · Berliner Philharmoniker / Mariss Jansons
Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Ottensamer / BPO / Jansons)
Principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic in a prestige orchestral partnership.
- Selection reason
- High views + top prestige.
- Pedagogical value
- Benchmark modern orchestral principal sound and projection in a major European hall.
- View count
- ~67,000 views
3Sabine Meyer · Staatskapelle Dresden / Herbert Blomstedt
Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Meyer / Blomstedt)
Legendary partnership — Meyer with Blomstedt and Staatskapelle Dresden.
- Selection reason
- Prestige pick.
- Pedagogical value
- Reference for mature tone, long-line bel canto within Romantic drama, and orchestral blend.
- View count
- ~28,000 views
4Martin Fröst · Tapiola Sinfonietta / Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 — I. Allegro (Fröst)
I. Allegro alone (full-score companion uploads also exist). Fröst’s cadenza is itself studied by transcribers.
- Selection reason
- Highest performer prestige — among the most decorated living clarinet soloists.
- Pedagogical value
- Study expressive freedom, virtuosic control, and cadenza artistry.
- View count
- ~10,000 views
5Sharon Kam · Warner Classics
Clarinet Concerto No.1 in F Minor, Op. 73: I Allegro
ECHO Klassik “Instrumentalist of the Year” specifically for her Weber concertos recording with Leipzig Gewandhaus under Kurt Masur (1998). Tonebase study group uses Kam for the opening melody excerpt.
- Selection reason
- Performer prestige — award-winning Weber specialist.
- Pedagogical value
- Authoritative for this exact repertoire; lower view count but specialist pedigree.
- View count
- ~2,100 views
Practice studio
Begin a practice plan →Performance notes
Early-Romantic drama and storytelling
Shape the movement as a narrative from dark melancholy toward brilliance. The clarinet answer should be lyrical and keening (con duolo). Weber’s operatic instincts inform the writing.
Dynamic shaping and rubato
Really clear difference between the opening pitch and its later restatement; small crescendo–decrescendos shape phrases — the return is not a mere “echo.” Toward the recapitulation’s fff climax, push into the descending arpeggio as though crescendoing; the orchestra sits behind the soloist so the passage can hardly be too loud. Tasteful rubato: slight pauses on accented notes.
Piano reduction awareness
Full orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings) creates the dark drama. Internalize cello-led opening, horn interjections, and fff tutti from full-orchestra recordings.
Difficulty & suitability
Advanced — suitable for late-high-school (diploma-track), college, and professional clarinetists. A leading UK retailer rates the concerto difficulty 7–9 (“9 is advanced, beyond grade 8”). Demands beautiful soft entrance control, expressive forte triplets that never sound dry, clean sixteenth-note runs, long-line breath management, and the maturity to narrate early-Romantic drama. Natural progression from the Concertino Op. 26 for players ready for full concerto scale.
Sources & notes
Compiled July 17, 2026. View counts change over time; verify before citing in class.
Compiled 17 July 2026. View counts stated as of the research date from verified YouTube watch pages (screenshots). All five clips focus on movement I (some full-concerto uploads still contain the Allegro).