Stephenson - "Barcelona" Clarinet Concerto (wtih score)

Описание: "Barcelona" Clarinet Concerto
Concerto for Clarinet and Winds
Composer: James M. Stephenson

Premiere by John Yeh and the O'Fallon Townshipi High School Band, directed by Melissa Gustafson-Hinds

0:00 I. Palau de la Música Catalana [Architect: Lluís Domènech i Montaner]
7:05 II. Casa Battló [Architect: Antoni Gaudí]
12:14 III. Sagrada Família

Program notes:
One of my favorite things as a composer is to be inspired by people, places, ideas, or things that I never otherwise might have explored. It incites a new layer of imagination for me, where I am allowed to go outside the "usual" stuff in my brain, and just let the music follow the story. Without even knowing what I might write, I forwarded the idea of writing a clarinet concerto to be based on some of the most famous buildings in a city well-known for its architecture: Barcelona. What followed was an enthusiastic response from several institutions (listed below) and clarinetists, and the idea was hatched. The Chicago Symphony's longtime clarinetist, and dear friend, John Yeh, having just recently just heard The O'Fallon Township HS band play at Symphony Center, excitedly wrote to me, and with the lead support of their director, Melissa Gustafson-Hinds, we were off and running. Now it was time to do some research!

What is listed below are the inspirations I found from three famous architectural landmarks in Barcelona - Palau de la Música Catalana, Casa Battló, and Sagrada Família. The truth is that there were so many fantastically interesting tidbits about each building, that I felt I could write forever. But, I had to choose the ones that directly spoke music to me, so that I might get it "down" to 20 minutes!

James M. Stephenson