Concert Idea

Beyond Borders was the fifth and last concert of my artistic doctoral research project on Clarinet Music from Russia and the former Soviet Union 1917–1991. The idea of Borders refers to the main theme of this concert program and can be interpreted in various ways. This repertoire is “bordered”, or framed, by distinct styles and time periods. All compositions are – in varying degrees – situated outside the standard clarinet repertoire: from the rarely performed work to the entirely unknown composition. Questions of nationalities, citizenship and ethnic roots are also inherent to the concept of borders: the compositions originate from a state that does not exist anymore, from the former Soviet Union.
 
In his trio Notturno, Yury Kasparov mirrors musical gestures of the second Viennese school yet composed it within very different times and circumstances. The Sonata for clarinet solo by Vyacheslav Artyomov is situated on the breaking point of traditional ways of clarinet playing and the introduction of extended playing techniques. Samuil Senderey’s Three Pieces for clarinet and piano sits on the border between classical and folkloric music. The composer endangered himself by using openly Jewish themes in this work, a notable risk during Stalin’s dictatorship. Vladimir Agopov crossed a literal border when he emigrated to Finland from the USSR. Musically, the Sonata op.6 for clarinet and piano reveals an enhanced expressivity within the rules of dodecaphonic composition techniques. Olga Rayeva’s composition Lady-Bird transcends physical borders: the theremin is the only musical instrument which is played without touching it. There are no limits of pitch for the theremin, enabling the clarinet to melt into that sound world through use of glissandi and multiphonics. In Grigory Krein´s Quartet, Jewish themes blend with the musical elements of French Impressionism. If one was unfamiliar with the work and the composer, it could be difficult to guess that it originated in the Soviet Union under Stalin.