Echoes from the press
Solothurner Zeitung
Das Smetana Trio hat für das Jubiläumsjahr «20 Jahre Musik im Blumenstein» eine CD mit dem «Gassenhauer-Trio» von Beethoven, «Trio Pathetique» von Glinka und «Acht Stücke» von Max Bruch aufgenommen.
Berner Zeitung
… he knew how to elicit a surprisingly wide array of nuances from the clarinet’s sonorities and to lend the work a sense of structural clarity, delicate poetry and sparkling effervescence with his subtle phrasing, dynamics and choice of tempos.
Bieler Tagblatt
Perfection as synthesis: their fantastic ensemble playing and the rich nuances of the warm woodwind sonorities were particularly evident in the contemporary works.
Der Bund
Wenzel Grund performed Louis Spohr’s 4th Clarinet Concerto in E Minor; his performance was marked by refined technique, discerning phrasing and rich sonorities. His interpretation was compelling and characterized by dramatic contrasts.
Der Bund
Wenzel Grund, clarinetist from Prague who now is at home in Berne, confirmed his reputation as an outstanding instrumentalist who commands the supple art of phrasing and a perfect technique with his performance of Richard Strauss’ Duett Concertino. He is a multifaceted and experienced Interpreter.
Südkurier (D)
The variations in mood in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major that soloist Wenzel Grund, the Burgdorf musician from Bohemia, created with his velvety tone in all the registers of his instrument as well as with his restrained use of virtuosity were the highlight of the evening.
Hohenloher Zeitung (D)
Wenzel Grund and Michaela Sopikova performed fantastically together in the Salon of the Aschhausen Castle. Robert Schumann wrote his three Fantasiestücke Op. 73 for clarinet and piano. Wenzel Grund shaped the lines into expansive arches, created sudden, powerful eruptions, as well as delicate melodies in the three collective pieces.
Badische Zeitung
The extensive palette of the instrument’s colors was evident in Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Minor. Soloist Wenzel Grund mastered the virtuoso passages without diminishing its delicate, expressive character.
Riehener Zeitung
The star of the evening was professional clarinetist Wenzel Grund. The soloist from Prague… played Weber’s Clarinet Concerto with expansive gestures, great emotion and obvious pleasure. He earned long applause from the 150 guests in the village church in Riehen last Sunday.