The Clarinet Concerto is considered by many to be simply the best of its kind since Mozart's swan song, KV 622. The formal landscape is richly varied, and the way the material is developed is a model of artistic generosity and technical economy. The clarinet part is a brilliant tour-de-force, not only in the impressive cadenzas, but also in relation to the orchestra and in the fascinating, multi-faceted dialogue with a soloistic side drum (obbligato indeed, and not overly given to polite submission).