Clarinet; Piano
Accompaniment
SKU:
HL.50566025
Clarinet and Piano
Revised Edition.
Composed by Claude
Debussy. Editions Durand.
Classical, French,
Impressionist. Softcover.
28 pages. Editions Durand
#DD01681800. Published by
Editions Durand
(HL.50566025).
ISBN
9781705192658. UPC:
196288132332.
9.0x12.0x0.105
inches.
This
edition is enriched with
a historical introduction
in French and English by
notable clarinettist
Pierre Génisson.
“[...] this piece
is, without a doubt, one
of the sweetest I have
ever written.†As
this letter that Claude
Debussy wrote to Durand,
his publisher, indicates,
the composer held his
Rhapsodie for clarinet
and piano in very high
regard. In 1909, when
Gabriel Fauré, then
director of the Paris
Conservatoire,
commissioned the piece,
Debussy had never before
written for clarinet. He
dedicated it to P.
Mimart, “as a token
of my regard.â€
After the unanimous
recognition of the high
quality of this solo,
written for competition,
Mimart premiered it in
public on 16 January 1911
at the Salle Gaveau in
Paris. Two years later,
Debussy would choose to
expand it further,
writing a version
accompanied by orchestra
with a greatly expanded
palette of colors. As its
name suggests, it is
freeform, and emanates a
great poetry. The
introduction,
“Rêveusement
lent,†is an
evocation of the dawn.
This gives way to a scene
of nature's awakening,
which never ceases to
amaze us with its
transformations. At times
calm and lyrical, it
sometimes becomes
mischievous, vindictive
or even joyous,
especially during the
scherzando passages. In a
heightened impressionist
style, Debussy gives free
rein to his imagination,
demanding tremendous
speed and precision from
the clarinettist.