Born
1956

Instrumentation
piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, percussion, strings

Duration
20 minutes

Program Notes
Written by composer

In some ways, Concerto No. 2  traces back to November 2017 when Christopher Hill, Maestro Gier, and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra performed my Summer Solstice (Concerto No. 1) for Clarinet and Strings.  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.

Chris and I both 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 work, the clarinet often is the lead part of a blended orchestral texture.

I began work on Concerto No. 2 by sketching ideas that strongly contrast with the previous concerto.  Most apparent is its scoring for full orchestra and solo Bb Clarinet, placing coloristic emphasis on the winds and percussion.  This in turn 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 can speak volumes without words, so let your mind wander wherever the music leads you!

Like all concerti, there are elements of soliloquy and dialog between the soloist and the orchestra: that's particularly poignant in tonight's valedictory concert, with the soloist having spent literally more than half of his life as principal clarinetist with the SDSO.  The concerto's visceral-yet-undefined drama is most present in the central slow movement that begins with a long, melodic solo, sounding alone in the Washington Pavilion 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 40 years, going back to the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony; he was their principal clarinet while still at Temple University, and I was their bass clarinetist. 

Watch out for some nice bass clarinet parts in the concerto!