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In its largest line-up the Roeland Hendrikx Ensemble has orchestral allure but still allows each instrument to profile its own individually! Before the clarinet had conquered its place in the classical orchestra, the instrument was particularly popular in folk music. When composers in Romanticism explored the rural roots of their music, deliciously hybrid genres emerged on the cusp between folk and classical music. For example, Prokofiev's Overture on a Jewish Theme introduced klezmer music, in which the clarinet traditionally played a major role, into the classical repertoire. Khatchaturian's trio explores rhythmic variations on folk music from Uzbekistan. Brahms' clarinet quintet from 1891 is the undisputed highlight of the chamber repertoire for clarinet. In fact, Brahms had already retired from active composing when clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld blew him off his socks, and managed to extract two more sonatas, a trio, and this wonderful quintet from the ageing composer. Brahms did not source his inspiration for the clarinet quintet from folk music: the man who could write Hungarian dances in a Hamburg brothel had no need of any direct occasion. But even without an identifiable model, the quintet oozes unadulterated Central European, Slavic-sounding melancholy...