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Hello,

I stumbled upon your article on the film À bout de souffle (Breathless). I have seen it a couple of times, and just saw it on the big screen when it came to the DC area a couple of months ago. I was blown away by this recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. I've been scouring the Internet to figure out exactly which version it is to no avail. Your review was the closest I could find. Do you happen to have any further details on this particular recording?

Thanks!
Ashley Kathleen Gerber

It's impossible to tell for sure. As sharp as the Blu-ray is, you can't read the fine print on the disc, and it being an early film, we don't have an end-title scroll credit. But my money is on a 1956 l'Oiseau-Lyre recording with the French clarinettist Jacques Lancelot, with an orchestra conducted by Louis de Froment, who later became the house conductor for the Vox label. Lancelot recorded the concerto later on in the 1960s with the Jean-François Paillard Orchestra for Erato. It might be possible to find that one at Amazon.com, but I doubt the l'Oiseau-Lyre will ever be reissued. . . . Rad Bennett