CHAMBER CONCERTO, 1994

Duration, 12 minutes

Solo clarinet, percussion, piano

MOVEMENTS:

Prelude

Vivace Ritmico

In the Prelude, the solo clarinet floats above or below, or winds around and through orchestral sonorities that are sometimes warm, singing and sparkling, and sometimes languid, hazy clouds of sound. An ascending motif begins in the clarinet and occurs frequently throughout, drifting upward at the final cadence.

The peace and tranquillity of the Prelude changes drastically when all caution lets loose in the light-hearted, exuberant and quite raucous Vivace Ritmico. Elements of jazz and the mood of a lively party combine with repetitive rhythmic patterns, changing meters, playful exchanges and comic sounds. A traditional cadenza for the clarinet culminates with a short exchange between the clarinet and a siren in the percussion section before the movement rushes forward to a conclusion.

Performances:

Dinosaur Annex, 1st and 2nd Church, Boston, MA, 3/22/98

Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, 4/1/96

Contemporary Music Forum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 12/14/95

International Festival of Composers, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 11/24/95

International Clarinet Association Conference,Tempe, AZ, 7/12/95

Faculty Artist Series, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 11/6/94

Interlochen National Music Camp, faculty recital, Interlochen, MI, 7/23/94

Women's Composers Orchestra, Baltimore, MD, 2/6/94

Radford University, Guest Composers' Concert, Radford, VA, 3/17/94