Double Concerto (2019)

For Solo Violin, Solo Clarinet and String Orchestra

Co-Commissioned by the New York Classical Players, Dongmin Kim, Music Director
and the New England Philharmonic, Richard Pittman, Music Director

Duration: 16 minutes

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Performed live by Stefan Jackiw (violin), Yoonah Kim (clarinet), New York Classical Players with Dongmin Kim (conductor)

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Program Note

At the heart of Double Concerto, is a focus on the relationships between our three main characters – the two soloists and the string orchestra. Some of my thinking on the roles these characters play grew out of early conversations I had with Stefan Jackiw and Yoonah Kim, the two soloists for which this piece was composed, and is dedicated. Jackiw described thinking of the role of the clarinet in string chamber works, such as Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, as an invited guest. In my Double Concerto, we begin alone with our protagonist, the violin, and the string orchestra, which acts throughout like a chorus from Ancient Greek theater, standing in solidarity with the soloists and narrating and personifying the internal or external struggles they face. The solo clarinetist does not enter until almost halfway through the work, but when it does, it unexpectedly alters the course of the concerto, perhaps also instilling hope when it is most needed.

The work, cast in a single movement, follows an emotional transformation. The work was co-commissioned by the New York Classical Players and Music Director Dongmin Kim, and the New England Philharmonic and Music Director Richard Pittman. 

- Eric Nathan