“Conjecture is not quite wistful but pensive. It's a strong work which doesn't show off; you have to accept it on its own terms.”
--acousticlevitation.com
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Conjecture (2008)
Solo clarinet and orchestra (2.2.2.2/3.2.2.1/str)
Approximately 9 Minutes
Conjecture was recorded by Richard Stoltzman and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirk Trevor in Bratislava in May 2008. This recording will be released on a disc called Mementos, on Navona Records, in August 2009.
View the score (Acrobat Reader required)
<< C O M P O S E R N O T E >>
For a long time I was only writing music where the members of the ensemble seemed to be at war with each other, struggling for attention and control. The musical language was one of conflict and not always resolution. But in recent years I have started to rethink this approach. When I started to plan this piece for clarinet and orchestra, I thought it would be nice to try writing something where everyone seems to be listening to each other for a change. Such was my approach with Conjecture.
The solo clarinet opens the piece with an opening idea, and almost immediately the orchestra starts responding to it, first with the muted trombone solo and then the clarinet section taking ideas from the soloist and working with them. Sometimes it’s a direct restatement, but often the orchestral accompaniment tries to take the ideas of the soloist and turn it into something more. The intended effect is to have the piece feel like the orchestra and the soloist are working through ideas with each other, kind of like thinking out loud…forming or expressing their opinions…conjecturing.
Almost every element in the orchestral music is in some way directly connected to what is coming out of the soloist, and in this way they work together to reach…perhaps not a consensus…but a shared destination.
Conjecture was completed during a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. I want to thank ACA and my fellow composers there for their feedback, which had a major impact on the final product. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Andrew Imbrie, a great composer and a fantastic teacher. |
