Clarinet Quartet (Penderecki) Explained

The Clarinet Quartet, also known as Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio,[1] is a work for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. It was finished in 1993.

Composition and premiere

This composition was dedicated to Ake Holmquist and premiered in Lübeck on August 13, 1993.[2] For this performance, Israeli clarinetist Sharon Kam, German violinist Christoph Poppen, American violist Kim Kashkashian, and collaborator and Russian cellist Boris Piergamienszczikow played the work under the baton of Penderecki himself. These musicians also performed the piece to be broadcast in television, also with Penderecki as conductor.[3] It was later published by Schott Music.[4]

Harry Kinross-White also wrote an arrangement of this composition for saxophone quartet in 1999. The first performance of this arrangement took place in the Dresden Days of Contemporary Music in 1999 by Raschèr Saxophone Quartet.

Analysis

The Clarinet Quartet takes approximately 15 minutes to perform and is in four movements. The movement list is as follows:[5]

  1. Notturno. Adagio
  2. Scherzo. Vivacissimo
  3. Serenade. Tempo di Valse
  4. Abschied. Larghetto

Reception

This composition received universal acclaim, both in the first performance and in recordings. In the premiere, the composition was played twice due to audience demand.[6] According to Lutz Lesle, the composition was inspired by Schubert's String Quintet.

Notable recordings

Following are some of the most well-known recordings of this piece:

ClarinetViolinViolaCelloRecord CompanyYear of RecordingFormat
Sharon KamChristoph PoppenKim KashkashianBoris PiergamienszczikowSony1993CD and DVD
Martin FröstPatrick SwedrupIngegerd KierkegaardHelena NilssonBIS Records1994CD
Ulf RodenhäuserIda BielerEnrique SantiagoMartin OstertagMusikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm1997CD[7]
Donald MontanaroLuis BiavaSidney CurtissWilliam StokkingBoston Records1996CD
Michel LethiecRégis PasquierBruno PasquierArto NorasNaxos2001CD[8]

The saxophone quartet version has also been recorded by Raschèr Saxophone Quartet and released by BIS Records in 2001.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bylander, Cindy . Krzysztof Penderecki : a bio-bibliography . Westport. Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.. 0-313-25658-6 .
  2. Prywatny polski festiwal w Niemczech. Szlezwik-Holsztyn '93. Ruch muzyczny. 1993. 37. 19.
  3. Web site: Penderecki's Quartet for Clarinet and Strings (1995) (TV). IMDb. 23 February 2014.
  4. Web site: Penderecki. Krzysztof. Quartet composer: Krzysztof Penderecki for clarinet, violin, viola and violoncello. Schott Music. 23 February 2014.
  5. Book: Penderecki, Krzysztof. Quartett für Klarinette und Streichtrio. 1993. Schott Music. dead. https://archive.today/20140223120732/http://www.notafina.de/noten/Quartett/5345?lang=de. 2014-02-23.
  6. Lesle. Lutz. Feuerfarben und Wassertöne. Polnische Novitäten beim Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. Das Orchester. November 1993. 41. 11. 1195–1196.
  7. Web site: Penderecki, Krzysztof: Chamber Music. Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz. 23 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140308131847/http://www.villamusica.de/shop/penderecki-chamber-music. 8 March 2014. dead.
  8. Web site: PENDERECKI: Sextet / Clarinet Quartet / Cello Divertimento. Naxos Digital Services. 23 February 2014.
  9. Web site: XENAKIS / PENDERECKI / HINDEMITH / NORGARD / HALFFTER: Music for Saxophone Quartet. Naxos Digital Services. 23 February 2014.