Josef Schelb: Chamber Music with Clarinet

The Karlsruhe-based Josef Schelb (1894–1977) is one of the better-kept secrets of twentieth-century German music. His output was substantial: he lost most of his early music in a bombing raid in 1942, but – as if to make up for lost time – wrote some 150 more works after that. These four, for clarinet in various chamber combinations, show his music emerging from the influence of Hindemith and Berg and developing a freewheeling energy, contrapuntal command and rhythmic charge of its own – often animated by a touch of devilish humour.

Busch Kollegium Karlsruhe
Bettina Beigelbeck, clarinet
Yasushi Ideue, violin (Tracks 5–7, 12–15)
Ayu Ideue, violin (Tracks 5–7)
Wolfgang Wahl, viola (Tracks 5–11)
Gabriela Bradley, cello (Tracks 8–11)
Bernhard Lörcher, cello (Tracks 1–7)
Manfred Kratzer, piano (Tracks 1–4)