These two works are perhaps the most recorded of all clarinet music.  Amidst the competition, what makes the Shifrin version stand out?  First of all, Shifrin's choice of the historically correct bassett clarinet (look  carefully at the CD cover and you'll see Shifrin holding two  clarinets...the slightly longer one is the bassett clarinet) distinquishes  this recording from many others.  The use of the bassett clarinet (which is  actually the instrument for which Mozart wrote the concerto) allows the  pieces to be performed "the correct way" (shorter than the  bassett clarinet, the modern clarinet can no longer play the lowest notes  in the concerto; these unplayable notes are usually moved up an octave for  performances).  However, the mere use of a "historically correct"  instrument does not make this CD special (after all, the use of period  instruments is quite popular these days...Sabine Meyer and Anthony Pay have  both recorded the Mozart clarinet concerto using the bassett clarinet).  Rather, Shifrin's warm and smooth tone is what makes this CD a must-buy.  Some may consider his tone to be velvety but weak, but I find it to be  highly appropriate in the Mozart setting (instead of a more brilliant tone  that many clarinetists are striving for nowadays).  Shifrin's playing style  is quite conservative (though he does sport a slight vibrato); no radical  interpretations should be expected here.  This is a great CD for students,  professional players, and music lovers alike.  While Robert Marcellus's  famed recording of the concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra may never be  surpassed, David Shifrin comes very, very near.  In any case, Marcellus has  not recorded the clarinet quintet (either that, or this recording is really  hard to find).  All the more to purchase the Shifrin CD!