PROGRAM NOTES

By Larry Laskowski

The Clarinet

The modern clarinet. We tend to take it for granted. It has been an essential member of the symphony orchestra for a long time, and of course the clarinet is the ‘violin’ of the wind ensemble and military band, and also an essential player in many chamber ensembles. Yet the modern clarinet really is a marvel. Four octave range, a wide dynamic space, remarkable agility, and an impressive palette of tonal color.

The clarinet came into its own in the late 18th century. Lots of innovations: new technology, new keying systems, innovative ways of enabling the clarinetist to be virtuosic and expressive and flexible. The result was that important composers became entranced with this new instrument and its talented players. Mozart was perhaps the first to be captivated, but others followed.

Claude Debussy, Première rapsodie (1910)

By 1910 Debussy (1862 – 1918) had established a secure reputation in the world of French music. It wasn’t an easy road for him, yet he had achieved a certain preeminence. The French system of musical pedagogy was indeed very strict. The Paris Conservatory was the dominant training ground for young instrumentalists. At that time, the modern clarinet was firmly established in the orchestra and as a chamber and solo instrument. So, in 1910 Debussy was asked to compose an examination piece for the clarinetists at the conservatory. Debussy would write it. The students would have about a month to learn it and memorize it and perform it for the conservatory judges.

Though Debussy wrote the Première rapsodie as an examination piece, it has been in the standard repertoire for virtuoso clarinetists ever since. One movement, improvisatory in style. The Debussy orchestration is very subtle and effective. But Debussy was pressing those clarinet students to do everything the clarinet could do: range, dynamics, lyricism, quick fingers, quick tongue … and some of the most sublimely beautiful clarinet melodies ever written... a real test. And then of course there’s Debussy’s genius as a composer which is not to be overlooked. Imagine being a clarinet student and having the opportunity to essentially debut a Debussy composition - a short piece in which there are many opportunities for both the solo clarinet and Debussy to amaze us. A test and an experience that as listeners we’re happy to relive.

Carl Maria von Weber, Concerto No. 1 for Clarinet in f minor (1811)

We think of Beethoven as the successor to Mozart, but we shouldn’t forget that there was also Carl Maria Von Weber (1786-1826). Weber is properly credited with pushing German opera into the Romantic era with Der Freischütz (1811) and his other operas, essentially reinventing German opera and paving the way for other composers to follow. He found a somewhat darker and more colorful vision of what opera could do, and we hear that in his fascination for the clarinet. Weber was inspired by a particular player, Heinrich Baermann, and hence wrote several important pieces for the clarinet. Weber saw that the clarinet could be just as expressive as an opera singer. All the technique, the colors, the expressive gestures. Hence the f minor concerto has been a beloved staple in the repertoire ever since.

The concerto is in three movements. The first movement (Allegro) is very reminiscent of Mozart, and it gives the clarinet a wide range of expressive opportunities. The second movement (Adagio ma non troppo) is very lyrical, virtually an extended aria for the clarinet. And the passages for clarinet and French horns are both innovative and just plain gorgeous. The last movement (Rondo: Allegretto) is light, fast, and fun.

With this concerto Weber helped put the clarinet on the list of celebrated solo instruments. And we still enjoy hearing it today.

Mahler Symphony No. 5 (1901)

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was probably one of the most complicated and conflicted of the great composers, and he was also a phenomenal conductor. Lots of different trends influenced him:

• “Gemütlichkeit” A difficult word to translate into English. Often referred to as coziness or comfort. It’s a happy domestic state when all is familiar and well, and we relax into good feeling. It’s somehow essential to the Viennese soul.

• The high culture of artistic Vienna at the time. From the food (ah, those pastries) to the visual arts to the writing to the dance to fashion: Lots of decorative touches. You just can’t have too much fancy icing or too many curves in your statue. Elegance at the highest level. Some would claim that it’s perhaps overly indulgent. Others just enjoy it.

• There was also a very serious and darker side to life in Vienna at that time. Freud was doing important work there. Science was making consequential strides into new territory. Philosophy was in the air, thoughts and writings that took life’s struggles and fundamental existential questions very seriously. Also, at the time many people foresaw that WWI was inevitable, so some in high society took the attitude that it was advisable to enjoy life while they could.