Swiss-German clarinetist Eduard Brunner was notable for collaborations with top-quality chamber groups, for adventurous recordings, and perhaps especially for his commitment to contemporary music. The fundamentals of his professional life were common enough in pattern: he spent many years as first clarinetist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony during the conductorship of Rafael Kubelik, later moving on to a professorship at the Hochschüle für Musik in Saarbrücken. Brunner commissioned many of the contemporary standards of clarinet music, but he was also an enthusiastic exponent of clarinet standards. His recordings, more than 250 in number, appeared on a variety of labels, with a concentration of them appearing on the avant-garde jazz/classical German label ECM. ~ James Manheim