Moods for solo clarinet is a dream piece for the ultra
talented fast staccato players out there in clarinet land. -
Michèle Gingras
Printed by permission of
The Clarinetist
Moods for solo clarinetis set in three continuous movements, each
depicting one of three moods. The first movement,
Mischievous, dances playfully and unpredictably through
constantly changing time signatures and alternates between
small groups of slurred notes and repeated staccato pitches.
Opening with a sustained low-B, the second movement,
Apathetic, is a lethargic contrast to the opening
material. This movement features lyrical lines spanning
the range of the instrument along with several multi-phonics.
The final movement, Anxious, opens with a pair of
sixteenth notes followed by silence, then a sustained low-G#.
As that opening two-note figure gradually develops into longer
bursts of rapid sixteenth-note passages, the tension and energy
build. After a gradual return to the opening two-note
fragment, the piece concludes with an energetic final burst of
sound and speed ascending to the final high G. Moods was commissioned and premiered by
Roman Ruiz at Arizona State University.
click on the
cover page to view an excerpt of the piece
