clarinet CONCERTO

program note

This concerto is subtitled "Nekudim," which translates roughly from Hebrew as "points." Though Nekudim has a deeper connotation, in a grammatical context, “nekudos” refer to the vowels in the Hebrew language, notated by lines and dots underneath each letter. The majority of Hebrew letters are consonants, such as "vav" which, when pronounced without any vowel, sounds "v." It is only the vowels that give the "v" vocal direction, such as "vee" or "voo," etc. In a metaphysical context, the letters are lifeless "bodies" that are animated with the "soul" of a vowel.

To me, a woodwind instrument – and the clarinet in particular - is a musical example of this concept. A string instrument is held outside the body of the player and the violinist uses his exterior limbs (hands) to make the instrument sound. But the clarinet is attached to the player’s mouth – Ricardo is literally breathing life into the notes that I wrote. This is the concept of Nekudim illustrated in music. Knowing what a phenomenally sensitive musician Ricardo is, I trusted the long legato lines of the first and last movement, that require so much shaping and phrasing of each note, to his innate musicality. I am confident of him breathing in the “living soul” to the music.

Movement 2 of Clarinet Concerto is associated with the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, , “vav,” which refers to the attribute of Chesed in Jewish mystical thought. Chesed is associated with uninhibited giving, without regard to the merits of the recipient. The second movement is approximately 10 minutes of unrelenting motion. As I was writing, each time I contemplated a complete cadence, I found another way to continue. To me, this “continual continuation” represents the uninhibited giving of Chesed.

The tone of movement 2 is spirited and includes a rhythmic dance of sorts, highlighting the woodblock and clarinet, punctuating the end of each sub-section.