Brahms' musical language and compositional style can be hard to understand at first. In this podcast I hope to throw some light on some of the most important elements and share my own personal interpretation as a guide to getting to grips with his amazing works for clarinet. First of all there is context: when the Op.120 Sonatas were written, why and for whom they were written, and then it is important to understand the language Brahms uses in these pieces. It is difficult to imagine hearing these Sonatas for the first time in the final years of the 19th century with none of the 20th century advances that saw the clarinet propelled into the stratosphere. These were the last chamber works Brahms ever wrote and they are full of nostalgia, regret, frustration and ultimately resignation.

To accompany this podcast go over to my youtube channel (Stuart King Clarinet) www.youtube.com/channel/UC0bvV0bymKGbuhwsI-s3dUQ where I go into more detail unlocking some of the secrets I have discovered when performing and teaching these wonderful Sonatas.