About
John Alexander Brymer OBE (27 January 1915 – 16 September 2003) was an English clarinettist and saxophonist. The Times called him "the leading clarinettist of his generation, perhaps of the century". He was largely self-taught as a player and he performed as an amateur before being invited by Sir Thomas Beecham to join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1947. He remained with the orchestra until 1963, two years after Beecham's death.
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Brymer played in the BBC Symphony and London Symphony Orchestras. He was also associated with several chamber music ensembles, and maintained a lifelong pleasure in playing jazz. He held professorships during most of the period from 1950 to 1993, first at the Royal Academy of Music, then at the Royal Military School of Music and finally at the Guildhall School of Music. He was a regular broadcaster, as a player and presenter and made recordings of solo works and with orchestras and smaller ensembles. He published two volumes of memoirs and a book about the clarinet.
Member of
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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra clarinet
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BBC Symphony Orchestra clarinet
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London Symphony Orchestra clarinet, principal
Discography
Albums
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Clarinet Concerto / Bassoon Concerto / Andante for Flute
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Clarinet Concerto KV 622 / Oboe Concerto KV 314
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Serenades K. 361 & K. 375
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Concertos for Flute and Harp / Clarinet
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Serenade K388 / 4 Divertimenti
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Piano Quintet in F minor op. 34 / Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B minor op. 115
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BBC Music, Volume 29, Number 6: Mozart: Clarinet Concerto / Beethoven: Symphony no. 1
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Symphony no. 41 “Jupiter” / Clarinet Concerto / Bassoon Concerto
Compilations
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ack Brymer Rediscovered: Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Hurlstone & Stanford
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Clarinet Concerto / Oboe Concerto / Bassoon Concerto
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Complete Wind Music
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The Complete Quintets, Vol. 2
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The Complete Piano Trios / The Clarinet Trio "Kegelstatt"
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Eine kleine Nachtmusik / Serenata Notturna / Clarinet Concerto / Flute and Harp Concerto
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The Mozart Collection: Clarinet Concerto / Clarinet Quintet
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Wind Concerti
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Clarinet Concerto / Bassoon Concerto
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Klarinettenkonzert KV 622 / Konzert für Flöte und Harfe KV 299
Links
Teacher
Also known as
John Alexander Brymer, OBE
Tags
- british clarinetist
- clarinetist
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 8cd84cca-b32a-476f-917d-44dd0ec7728d
- ISNI
- 0000000108906243
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 8 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.