Concert Idea

In the third doctoral concert program, Facets of Expression, standard clarinet repertoire works by Sergey Prokofiev and Aram Khachaturian provided the framework to lesser-known compositions by Arthur Lourié, Maija Einfelde and Katia Tchemberdji. To me as a performer, the substitution of some of the most popular clarinet works with seldom-heard ones is an appealing artistic challenge to, on the one hand, find my own, fresh and personal interpretation among the numerous brilliant existing interpretations and well-established performance practices and on the other hand, to embark on the fascinating process of rehearsing and internalizing works previously unknown to me, and search for a deeper meaning, my own connotations and personal images. 

Diversity within my chosen field is also prominent in the origins and historical circumstances of each composer and his work for the clarinet. The Overture on Hebrew Themes by Sergey Prokofiev, commissioned by the Jewish-Russian ensemble Zimro in New York in 1919, for example, implies elements of traditional Jewish music. The Mime by Arthur Lourié, a close friend of Igor Stravinsky, is dedicated to Charlie Chaplin and is a rather humoristic composition. The colourful Clarinet Quintet Mournful Serenades by the Latvian composer Maija Einfelde expresses deep concern about the pollution of the Baltic Sea. The Sonata by Katia Tchemberdji explores new sound possibilities, moving the borders of conventional clarinet and piano playing. The Trio by Aram Khachaturian has strong Caucasian folk music influences and was composed in 1932, just at the dawn of the worst years of Stalinist repression in the Soviet Union.

The connecting line within these compositions is the wealth of expressive possibilities of the clarinet. Each composer´s individual voice has been converted for my instrument, the clarinet. I experience the clarinet here in various characteristic roles: passionate, tender, concerned, theatrical, playful, picturesque, wild… The musical elements vary from folk music themes to quotations from popular music to extreme dynamics and uncommon harmonic solutions.