Sonata – Concerto for bass clarinet and piano

I – Fantasia

II – Cantilena

III – Dionisiaca

When David Gould, a fabulous New York clarinet player, approaches me to commission to compose a new piece for bass clarinet and piano I was very happy. I have written a pretty good number of Sonatas or pieces for instrument and piano but I do not know why, I did not compose anything for bass clarinet and piano.

The bass clarinet being such an expressive instrument, with a great tessitura, technical possibilities and immense dynamic range it is surprising that still lacks of a very substantial concert literature. Thus, I have written this Sonata – Concerto for bass clarinet and piano or orchestra with great enthusiasm.

As I have already done with other solo instruments, the fact that the piece can be serve either as a Sonata or as a Concerto is planned from the very beginning. I have tried to compose an idiomatically written piece for the piano as well as to be easily successfully orchestrated.

The first movement was premiered as a separate piece Fantasia at the International Clarinet Association Conference held in Ostende (Belgium July 2018). The last two movements were written later during the September month of the same year.