Lovers of the clarinet were treated to a pair of double delights in this concert: not only were there two concertos (one old and one new); but there was also a pair of distinguished clarinettists sharing the stage. Michael Collins, who has a string of excellent recordings to his name, and is known the world over as champion of his instrument, both directed the orchestra and played the solo in Mozart’s perennially popular A-major Concerto (K.622). Paul Dean, arguably Australia’s most well-known exponent of the clarinet, gave the second performance of his brand new concerto, with Collins conducting. To anchor the program in A Major, proceedings came to a close with Beethoven’s Symphony No 7, Op. 92.

Michael Collins and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Daniel Aulsebrook

Collins delivered an elegantly shaped account of the Mozart in which his beautifully mellifluous tone starred throughout. The many jumps between registers, which are a particular feature of the outer movements, were effortlessly negotiated, while the inner core of the work – its celebrated Adagio – radiated with lyrical intensity. The orchestra, ably and aptly led...