Concerto for Bb Clarinet & Piano

For his "Concerto per Clarinetto" the composer Kees Vlak deliberately chose a world-famous model, i.e. the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, K.622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as the sound of this instrument is brought to bear there in an ideal way. While maintaining its classical structure, Vlak’s concert is of course much simpler as far as technique is concerned. And there is yet another distinctive difference: this clarinet concerto was conceived as a piece for solo instrument and wind band, hence it is not merely al ”transcribed imitation”.

The first movement, Allegro con spirito, is written in sonata form and therefore relies on the contrasting main with singing theme, fantasia and recapitulation. The composer also wrote a cadenza. There is, however, ample space for the soloist to develop his creativity and interpretative qualities. The second movement ”Romanza” is crafted in three-part song form, while the final movement is a rondo full of serenity.