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The Clarinet Pages |
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Bozza - Aria |
Francis Poulenc (1893-1963): Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1962) Allegro tristamente - Romanza - Allegro con fuoco Programme note Poulenc, a French composer and pianist, and member of 'Les Six' (a group of anti-impressionist composers influenced by Satie) composed this sonata for clarinet and piano shortly before his death. Like his oboe sonata, the work was written as a lament to a friend who had recently died. Dedicated to the memory of Arthur Honegger, it was written for the clarinettist Benny Goodman who first performed it in 1963 with Leonard Bernstein at the Carnegie Hall, after Poulenc's death. Poulenc wrote a lot of chamber music including sonatas for flute and other mixed ensembles, some ballets and piano music. Starting with his Flute Sonata of 1956, Poulenc had planned to write a cycle of sonatas for each woodwind instrument and piano. After this Clarinet Sonata, he did complete his Oboe Sonata, which turned out to be the last substantial work he would finish before his death. A bassoon sonata was never written. All three sonatas of the cycle share particular structural and motivic features.The Allegro tristamente opens energetically, with a sense of fun tinged with melancholy, setting the tone for the rest of the work. The middle section of the first movement is more sombre and requires clarity of tone and fingerwork. The central movement - Romanza is a slow yet dramatic exploration of the full range of the instrument. The mood is suggested by the marking `Très doux et mélancolique' (Very sweet and melancholy), which befits a lament. After the solo introduction, there is a long exposition of the main tune, which returns in a number of different keys. Another feature is the `call and response' between the clarinet and piano which makes up the bulk of the middle section. The mournful mood is dispelled with the fiery and virtuosic finale, Allegro con fuoco, in a form resembling a rondo. The piano sets up a motor rhythmm, above which the clarinet sings in its highest register. A theme from the opening movement appears in the lyrical middle section, and it concludes with a breathless coda. Suggested Recordings Excellent set of French Clarinet works recorded by Janet Hilton, featuring this Sonata along with the Saint-Saëns sonata, Debussy's Première Rhapsdie and Milhaud's Duo Concertante. Budget price. Alternatively, try the Naxos volume of Poulenc's chamber music. The sonata here is performed by Ronald van Spaendonck. Sheet Music: Published by Chester, the latest (rev.2000) edition is available from Musicroom.com (UK) and Sheet Music Plus (USA). Useful Weblinks Biography from Naxos Records Profile from BBC Online Poulenc Discography MP3s of the Sonata can be downloaded from Umesh Shankar's Recordings Page Back to the Clarinet Pages... |
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