Fresh from tours in QLD, NSW and Victoria, we’ll be recording and performing the only two quintets ever written for historical basset clarinet and strings: Mozart’s iconic Clarinet Quintet, and the shimmering, ocean-inspired Wavelength by Australian composer Nicole Murphy, commissioned by ARCO in 2024.

Wavelength was inspired by the ocean, its gorgeous shades of blue and green, the waves of light that produce it and sound waves that create music - especially through the lush tones of the basset clarinet.

There are only two of these instruments in Australia, and this is the first piece written for it since Mozart’s time. This concert marks Wavelength’s Victorian premiere.

In the week preceding the concert, we’ll be recording both pieces for an album releasing in 2027. Get the sneak peek here!

Sunday 24 May | 5:00pm
Melbourne venue tba

Mozart’s clarinet

Looking like an extra-long clarinet, the basset clarinet was an invention by three friends: Wolfgang Mozart, clarinet virtuoso Anton Stadler, and instrument maker Theodore Lotz. A long, bulbous section adds four lower chromatic notes - and a big juicy sound - to the range of an ordinary clarinet.

But soon after Mozart wrote his beautiful Clarinet Quintet, the instrument was lost to history - until recently. Hear the story at our concerts!

ARTISTS

Members of Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra

Nicole van Bruggen | Clarinet
Rachael Beesley | Violin
Alison Rayner | Violin
Stephen King | Viola
Natasha Kraemer | Cello

PROGRAM

NICOLE MURPHY Wavelength for historical basset clarinet and string quartet (2024 ARCO commission)

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A major, K.581

ABOUT NICOLE MURPHY

Australian composer Nicole Murphy’s music has been described as “exquisite and sensitive” (Sydney Morning Herald), “strong and compelling” (Loudmouth) and “full of exhilarating tension” (Arts Knoxville). She was a featured composer and presenter in our August 2023 Voyage of Musical Discovery education program in Brisbane. Nicole joined ARCO’s 2024 tour of Brisbane and regional Queensland as composer and Voyage co-presenter of an ARCO-commissioned world premiere for historic clarinet and strings.