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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart must have liked to write for the clarinetist Anton Stadler—not only because of the latter's instrumental skill, but also to placate one of his many creditors. One is, after all, presumably less likely to dun someone who has written a masterpiece in one's honor. In any event, Mozart's gambling buddy and fellow Freemason certainly brought out the composer's best, inspiring him to some of his finest, most sophisticated writing. In the…

Michaelson: We'll forget about that! [laughs] But let me tell you a story about the Brahms Quintet. When I first heard it…

MOSAIC: Clarinet Quintets by Brahms & Mozart STPH015-2
Antony Michaelson (clarinet), Adrian Levine (first violin), Kathy Andrew (second violin), Stephen Tees (viola), Judith Serkin (cello)

W.A. Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A, K.581 34:12
[1] Allegro 9:55
[2] Larghetto 7:15
[3] Menuetto 7:18
[4] Allegretto con Variazioni 9:43

Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Quintet in b, Op.115 37:51
[5] Allegro 12:19
[6] Adagio 11:33
[7] Andantino 4:54
[8] Presto non assai, ma con sentimento 9:05

Total Playing Time: 72:12

…

Clarinetist Antony Michaelson was educated at Trinity College of Music in London, where he studied with Keith Puddy and John McCaw. His love of music was the driving force behind his search for a "better stereo system": in the late 1970s, unable to find such a system, he founded his first hi-fi company, which made tube amplifiers. He then put his hi-fi knowledge to good use as founder and managing director of British company Musical Fidelity. Realizing that he missed the joy of making music, Michaelson resumed serious practice of the clarinet…

Mail-order retailer Acoustic Sounds was founded by Chad Kassem in the early 1980s to sell LPs and CDs. One thing led to another, and Chad got into reissuing his favorite recordings, as well as original blues recordings, on his Analogue Productions label. To help with this, he opened his own mastering facility, AcousTech, with LP pressing company Record Technology Inc. Then came Blue Heaven Studios.

Chad acquired the First Christian Church in Salina, Kansas, to use as offices and warehousing. But, struck by the beautiful acoustics of the 77'-long, 52…

Recording Venue: Blue Heaven Studios, Salina, Kansas
Recording Dates: May 10-11, 1999
Production: Adrian Levine, with John Atkinson
Engineering: John Atkinson, with John Brandt
Editing/Mixing/Mastering: John Atkinson
Photography: Julie Hess, with John Atkinson
Art Direction: Natalie Brown Baca
Booklet Production: Pip Tannenbaum
Booklet Notes: Les Berkley, John Atkinson
CD Cover Image: Barbara Zaring, Rinconada River, oil on linen, 46" by 38"

Recording equipment: two Neumann M147 1" tube cardioid microphones as…

Description: Two-way, stand-mounted reflex dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.2" (28mm) silk-dome Dynaudio tweeter, 6" (150mm) cellulose-acrylate–cone Dynaudio woofer with 3" voice-coil. Crossover frequency: 1.5kHz. Crossover slopes: quasi–second-order. Frequency response: 37Hz–22kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 85.5dB/W/m (2.83V). Maximum sound-pressure level: 110dB. Amplifier requirements: 50–200W.
Dimensions: 16.5" (420mm) H by 8.5" (212mm) W by 12" (305mm) D. Enclosure volume: 16 liters. Weight: 22 lbs (10kg) each.
Finishes: mahogany…

Listening tests were carried out in two rooms. Room 1 serves as my main listening area—a spacious, 5500-cubic-foot room (51' L by 13' W by 12' H) in a wood-frame house with only moderate masonry infill. Room 1 has only one area rug, making it a live listening environment. Martin Colloms warns that such rooms can be "partially porous to low frequencies...[and] boundary-matched speakers may have inadequate bass power and reach in such locations" (September '96, Vol.19 No.9, p.161). Though its construction does "leak" bass, Room 1's 51' length does support low bass. In…