Sabine Meyer

Meyer grew up in an environment where clarinet playing was part of family life. Although she also studied other instruments, the clarinet became the centre of her musical identity. Studies with Otto Hermann and Hans Deinzer provided a technically rigorous foundation within the modern German clarinet tradition.

After study she entered professional orchestral life with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Herbert von Karajan then sought to bring her into the Berlin Philharmonic. The appointment became a major institutional controversy, reflecting both questions of orchestral sound and the orchestra’s restrictive history regarding women members. Meyer eventually left and concentrated on solo work.

The move proved decisive. Over the following decades she appeared with hundreds of orchestras throughout Europe, North America and Asia. Mozart, Weber, Spohr, Krommer, Debussy, Nielsen and contemporary works became central to a repertory that helped establish the clarinet more firmly on the international solo circuit.

Chamber music has always been equally important. In 1983 Meyer founded Trio di Clarone with her brother Wolfgang Meyer and her husband Reiner Wehle. Later projects included the Bläserensemble Sabine Meyer and collaborations with major string quartets, pianists and singers.

Her sound combines a clear core with great dynamic flexibility. Articulation is precise but rarely dry, the upper register remains controlled and lyrical, and her phrasing often balances classical poise with strong dramatic contrast. Her recordings reveal equal command of Mozartian transparency and twentieth-century colour.

From 1993 until 2022 Meyer taught clarinet and chamber music at Lübeck, influencing a generation of internationally successful players. After more than four decades on the concert platform she concluded her active performing career in 2025.