Introduction, Theme and Variations for clarinet Gioachino Rossini 1792-1868
i. Andante; ii. Allegretto iii. Five variations (composed 1810)
Bon viveur, gourmet, dancer, composer, the ‘Italian Mozart’ and pianist, Rossini wrote sacred music, songs, chamber music, piano pieces and of course his 39 operas, such as ‘The Barber of Seville’ and ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’. He earned the nickname ‘Signor Crescendo’ for his use of an exciting build-up of orchestral sound over a repeated phrase. According to the Oxford History of Music ‘Rossini's fame surpassed that of any previous composer, and so, for a long time, did the popularity of his works. Audiences took to his music as if to an intoxicating drug - or to champagne, with which Rossini's bubbly music was often compared.’
The introduction (Andante) begins with a loud call from the piano to get the listener's attention. The volume recedes as the soloist enters, playing a sweet melody. A short crescendo from the piano is followed by more virtuosic music from the soloist. The theme (Allegretto) which follows is a perky tune. In Variation 1, the pace quickens as the clarinet embellishes the theme. A short interlude leads to Variation 2 in which demisemiquavers dominate the continuing fast pace. Another short piano interlude leads to Variation 3. Arpeggios, repeated notes and scales are played by the soloist. In Variation 4, the tempo slows as the clarinet plays a soulful version of the theme. Here Rossini showcases the clarinet's range of expression and volume. The tempo quickens leading up to Variation 5, which the soloist usually plays at break neck speed.
Sonata in F minor Opus 120 No. 1 Johannes Brahms 1833-1897
i. Allegro appassionato; ii. Andante un poco Adagio; iii Allegretto grazioso; iv. Vivace (composed 1894)
Brahms was a German composer and pianist. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with JS Bach and Beethoven as one of the ‘the great three Bs’. Brahms realised the capabilities of the clarinet near the end of his life after becoming friends with virtuoso clarinetist, Mühlfield. These capabilities included the clarinet’s three register range, and its opportunities for wide leaps and rapid arpeggios. Mühlfield gave the sonata’s first performance.
The mood of the first movement is lyrical and wistful. The piano's introductory four-bar descending phrase and clarinet's opening theme set the mood and provide much of the material for the first movement. The slow movement is one of Brahms' most beautiful - a contented dream based on a descending theme. The third movement is an amiable waltz, with a descending motif contrasting with its rising inversion. The last movement starts with three loud chords from the piano, and the clarinet joins in with a skipping forward drive.
++++++ Interval of 25 minutes, including non-alcoholic mulled wine and mince pies++++++
Sonata for clarinet
Francis Poulenc 1899-1963
i. Allegro tristamente (Allegretto-Très calme-Tempo allegretto); ii. Romanza; iii. Allegro con fuoco (composed 1962)
Musically self-educated, Poulenc met Erik Satie. Under his tutelage Poulenc became one of a group of young composers known as ‘Les Six’. Poulenc was an accomplished pianist and had celebrated partnerships with the singers Bernac and Duval, touring with them worldwide. He made recordings with each, being one of the first composers to see the importance of the gramophone.
After a brief fortissimo introduction consisting of angry spurts from the clarinet punctuated by piano chords, the piano quietens. The clarinet's lines are built of a series of arcs that leave a shape but not a tune in our ears. As the movement ends, the lingering memory is a fuzzy one of melancholy gestures and moods. The second movement is clearer in its melodic makeup. The clarinet melody is simple and sombre throughout, but is elaborately embroidered in a few places. The third movement combines various nimble, articulate, and rhapsodic themes, bookended by a clownish tune—a mixture of serious and silly that well represents Poulenc's oeuvre as a whole.
The clarinetist Benny Goodman commissioned the piece, intending to premiere it accompanied by the composer. However, Poulenc died suddenly of a heart attack and the premiere was performed at Carnegie Hall by Goodman and Bernstein – so linking nicely to the next pieces in the recital.
Sonata for clarinet and piano Leonard Bernstein
1918-1990
i. Grazioso - Un poco piu mosso; ii. Andantino - Vivace e leggiero (composed 1941)
Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. He is famous for his long tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic and for his compositions – most famously ‘West Side Story’. If you have seen the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ about the life of Freddie Mercury, Bernstein has some similarities to him. Both came to recognise their bisexuality, but remained to their deaths devoted to their first loves, the women they had married.
The sonata is ‘a haunting work whose sonorities remind one of religious incantation, the opening theme of Stravinsky’s Firebird and smoke-filled jazz clubs.’ The first movement opens with a wandering clarinet tune. As the pace picks up, the piano’s rhythmic repeated motif gives us the first clues that West Side Story is only a decade away. An austere lyricism marks the opening of the second movement, which achieves intimacy by means of its slow tempo, steady pace, and sparse scoring. The nimble pulse of Latino-inflected jazz soon makes its appearance. These two modes of musical appeal—the soulful and the syncopated—play alternately for the listener’s attention.
Tribute to Benny Goodman (Arranged by Johnson and Lenehan) George Gershwin 1898-1937
Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. His compositions spanned popular and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris’, and the opera ‘Porgy and Bess’.
Benny Goodman (1909–1986) was a virtuoso jazz clarinettist and swing bandleader. In the mid-1930s, Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in the United States. His concert at Carnegie Hall in New York on January 16, 1938 was described as ‘the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history’. The arrangements are of Gershwin’s ‘Lady Be Good’, ‘The Man I Love’ and ‘I Got Rhythm’.
Programme notes compiled from various sources.
