JOSEF LABOR (1842-1924): Quintets for Clarinet, String Trio and Piano in D, Op.11 and for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn Bassoon and Piano in D, Trios for Clarinet,Viola and Piano Left Hand in G Minor and E Minor.

Description: The loss of one sense, it is said, makes the other keener. What the concert pianist, organist, and composer Josef Labor lost in eyesight when smallpox left him blind at age three, must have been added to his ears. Although roughly a Brahmsian (and a friend of the composer), Labor wrote in an original style, informed by his knowledge of and love for early music. As a piano teacher, he taught Arnold Schoenberg, Alma Schindler, and Paul Wittgenstein. The connection to the Wittgenstein family explains his many works for piano left hand, including the two Clarinet Trios on this set (the clarinet was Ludwig Wittgenstein’s instrument) which are coupled with his Clarinet and his Wind Quintets. 2 CDs. Thorsten Johanns (clarinet), Juri Valentin (oboe), Theo Plath (bassoon), Přemysl Vojta (horn), Nina Karmon (violin), Andreas Willwohl (viola), Alexander Hülshoff (celo), Oliver Triendl (piano).