Concerto for Clarinet

Composed in 2002 at the request of the renowned clarinettist Ronald Van Spaendonck, to whom it is dedicated, the Concerto for Clarinet is structured in three movements. The clarinet part — of formidable virtuosity — was written in close collaboration with the dedicatee and alternates between the roles of orchestral partner and dramatic protagonist.

The instrumentation evolves over the course of the work. The first movement is scored for strings and harp; the second adds keyboard percussion (marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel); while the third features the marimba in its slow introduction and a range of percussion (snare drum, bongos, temple blocks, tom-toms) in the final section.

The first movement (Allegro) follows an ABCA′ form. Section A introduces a rapid theme directly stated by the clarinet, taken up by the strings and developed through interplay with the harp. Section B offers a slower, more expressive passage: a series of variations on a harmonic progression, leading to a technically formidable cadenza. Section A′ revisits the initial material in reverse order, extensively varied.

The second movement (Lento) adopts an ABA′CA″ structure, with A functioning as a refrain, varied with each return. It opens in a dark and velvety timbral space, scored for lower strings (violas, cellos, double basses), marimba, vibraphone and harp. The violins enter only at bar 87, with the onset of section C, which leads to the movement’s expressive climax. Section B, by contrast, is a brief interlude where the clarinet blends into the canonic polyphony of the strings. The movement ends in a calm and contemplative atmosphere.

The finale (Lento – Vivo) begins with a slow, four-part contrapuntal canon. This gives way to a vibrant and rhythmically charged section where both the soloist and orchestra are pushed to their limits. The clarinet presents a theme that is varied throughout, each variation punctuated by interjections from the two percussionists, who gradually assume a more prominent role. The work concludes in a feverish and hallucinatory race towards the abyss, pitting soloist and orchestra against one another in a dazzling climax.

The world premiere took place in Moscow on 1 April 2005, with Ronald Van Spaendonck as soloist and the orchestra conducted by the composer.