Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp Minor, Op. 10

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, sometimes dubbed “the African Mahler” in his lifetime, was a composer of remarkable lyricism and emotional depth.

Written in 1895, when Coleridge-Taylor was still a student at the Royal College of Music, the Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor is an astonishingly mature work. It responds, in part, to a challenge: after hearing Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, Coleridge-Taylor’s teacher, Charles Villiers Stanford, dared him to write a clarinet quintet that showed no direct influence from Brahms. The result is a passionate, fluidly constructed piece that nevertheless nods respectfully to the lush Romantic tradition. Full of intricate interplay between the clarinet and strings, the quintet showcases Coleridge-Taylor’s natural gift for melody and structural clarity.