Quintet for clarinet, bass clarinet and string trio (Simpson) two clarinets enter below. Currently, the only commercially available CD is a Hyperion Records release. The Quintet is also recorded with the string quartets Nos. 14 and 15. Quintet for clarinet, bass clarinet and string trio (Simpson) The Quintet for clarinet, bass clarinet and string trio by Robert Simpson was completed in 1981 and commissioned by Gerald Drucker principal double bass at the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. The first performance was given at the Wigmore Hall in 1981 by the London Double Bass Ensemble and led by Gerald Drucker. Robert Simpson was attracted to the idea of a quintet for
String Quintet (Schubert) with Kurt Reher on second cello (a 1994 CD reissue of this performance was awarded a Gramophone Award). Among modern recordings, that featuring the Melos Quartet with Mstislav Rostropovich (1977) has been acclaimed, and is notable for the exceptionally slow tempo adopted for the Adagio. Rostropovich later recorded the quintet with the Emerson String Quartet (12/1990) on the occasion of the gala concert celebrating the 125th anniversary of the BASF AG, Ludwigshafen. A few recordings of the quintet performed on period instruments exist, including a 1990 recording on the Vivarte label with the following lineup: Vera Beths and Lisa Rautenberg,