Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1

Brahms's two clarinet sonatas (1894) were among the last works of his career, written after he had supposedly retired from composition, inspired by his encounter with the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld of the Meiningen Court Orchestra. The F minor Sonata, the first of the pair, is the more turbulent and emotionally complex, its brooding opening Allegro appassionato setting a dark, introspective tone that runs through much of the work. The Andante un poco Adagio is a movement of extraordinary tenderness, its sighing phrases and warm clarinet tone evoking a late-autumnal nostalgia unique in Brahms's output. The Allegretto grazioso brings welcome lightness, and the finale—a set of variations on a theme of gypsy character—ends the work with warmth and dance-like energy. Brahms himself arranged the solo part for viola as an alternative, and the work has since become a cornerstone of both instruments' repertoire.