Master Class with Pierre Génisson

Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Clarinet Sonata in E Major, Op. 167, in 1921 as one of his final works, along with his oboe and bassoon sonatas. Dedicated to Auguste Périer, a professor at the Paris Conservatory, it exploded in popularity and remains one of the best-known works today among clarinetists. To overcome the technical challenges in the piece, clarinetist Pierre Génisson stresses the importance of maintaining a tight embouchure, regardless of register jumps or softer passages—Saint-Saëns often mixes staccato lines with sudden bouts of sustained notes. Joining France’s history of a rich clarinet culture, Génisson has won the Carl Nielsen and Jacques Lancelot International Competitions, and his recordings have won international accolades. After the Paris Conservatory, he trained under Yehuda Gilad at the University of Southern California.