Elliot Carter

Clarinet Concerto

Composed in 1996(?)
Commissioned by the Ensemble InterContemporain of Paris for their
20th anniversary
Premiered January 1997, under the baton of Pierre Boulez, with Alain
Damiens as soloist.
Separated into 7 movements, played without break
Each movement features a clarinet solo with a chamber-group style
accompaniment. Only the 7th movement features the full 18-piece
orchestra in tutti (except for transitional material).
Each of the other 6 movements features the solo clarinet in dialogue
with a group of instruments in the accompaniment ensemble. As the
sections pass, the soloist moves from section to section within the
ensemble.
(:00-:30)Movements 1 and 2 are similar in nature, having upbeat
tempi and an incredibly complex rhythmic structure. Movement 1
features the clarinet in dialogue with the pitched percussion (marimba,
piano, harp), and movement 2 features the unpitched percussion.
(4:00-6:30) Movement 3 presents the first real contrast of the piece,
giving us a slow, peaceful, and quite beautiful chorale-type section.
This movement primarily features the clarinet with accompaniment
from muted brass, however we also hear interjections of percussions
and strings throughout.
(8:30-9:00) Movement 4 is an episode between the soloist and their
fellow woodwinds, the flute, oboe, English Horn, and Bassoon, all
moving in frantic and incessant chromatic counterpoint. Again as
before, other instrument families interject throughout.
Movement 5, which well skip for the sake of time, is another choraleesque section, this time with the soloist accompanied by sliding and
fluid strings. This chorale is notably more dissonant than its
predecessor in movement 3, but still has the same calm and
comforting charm.
(13:25-End) Movement 6 is reminiscent of movements 1 and 2 in its
seemingly discombobulated back-and-forth nature of dialogue between
soloist and accompaniment. However, this time the soloist is
conversing with the brass, unmuted this time.
The 7th and final movement continues the rapidly shifting texture of
movement 6, with the entire orchestra now providing accompaniment.
Snippets of the previous 6 movements can be heard in the various
instruments under the solo line, and the movement continues until it
appears to, in my opinion, disintegrate to a rather abrupt end

Through the whole piece, Carter keeps up his signature style of

immense rhythmic complexity, yet still varying musical characters and
styles.