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Duration: c. 20'
DETAILS
COMMISSIONED by the South Dakota Symphony.
PREMIERED by Christopher Hill solo clarinet with the South Dakota Symphony,
conducted by Delta David Gier, April 13, 2024.
AVAILABLE (Solo clarinet part with piano reduction) direct from Presser.
ORCHESTRAL SCORE perusal available online.
PROGRAM NOTES
In some ways, Concerto No. 2 traces back to November 2017 when Christopher Hill and the South Dakota Symphony performed my Summer Solstice (Concerto No. 1) for Clarinet and String Orchestra, led by Maestro David Gier. Several years after that wonderful concert, I was deeply flattered to learn that Chris and the orchestra had selected me to write a new work celebrating his retirement after 37 years with the SDSO.
We knew from the start that Concerto No. 2 had to be very different from Summer Solstice. The earlier work is beautiful, graceful, scored for A Clarinet with Strings, and with a central slow movement tenderly inspired by my newly becoming a father. In that gentle work, the clarinet often is the lead part of an evenly-blended texture.
Concerto No. 2 is a dynamo for full orchestra and solo Bb Clarinet, with coloristic emphasis on the winds and percussion. This allows for an extra dimension of drama, as various instruments emerge in their own cameo roles interacting with the solo clarinet.
Most of my music has programmatic titles, framing the listening experience with visual or experiential prompts. By contrast, Concerto No. 2 offers no worded glimpses into the soul and inspiration of the music. Emotional instrumental music speaks volumes without words, letting your mind wander wherever the music leads you!
There are elements of soliloquy and dialog between the soloist and the orchestra; that’s particularly poignant in the central slow movement which begins with a long, melodic solo, sounding alone in the concert hall having no orchestral dialog except for occasional chimes, before gradually getting the whole ensemble more stirred up.
Chris Hill and I have been friends for over 40 years, going back to the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony when he was their principal clarinet while still at Temple University, and I was their bass clarinetist. Watch out for some nice bass clarinet solos!
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last updated May 7, 2026
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