The Klezmer Concerto

The Klezmer Concerto is piece for solo clarinet, harp, strings and percussion by Israeli-American composer Ofer Ben-Amots. The piece was both written for and dedicated to renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer. The three-movement composition is marked by traditional klezmer sonorities and the use of extended techniques in the clarinet part.[1] The Klezmer Concerto premiered in Michelstadt, Germany on July 15, 2006 as part of the Michelstadt Musiknacht 2006.[2]

Composition

The piece was composed in 2006. Amots states that the concerto was directly inspired by Krakauer's distinct playing style for klezmer clarinet; Amots and Krakuaer worked together throughout the composition process, with Krakauer's techniques influencing the composition from its earliest sketches.[1]

Movements

I. Pastoral Donya

The concerto opens with a slow movement titled Pastoral Donya. A Donya is a type of melancholic melody likely of Eastern-European origin. The strings open with a passage meant to imitate the sounds of nature. The clarinet appears over the accompaniment with shout and cry-like melodies.[3]

II. Nigun of the Seven Circles

This dance-like movement is based on the Jewish wedding tradition of a bride circling her bridegroom seven times before the marriage ceremony can actually begin. Towards the end there is a free cadenza for the clarinet to improvise and expand upon previously stated motives.[3]

III. Halleluya

The third movement was inspired by a passage describing a raucous musical scene in the 150th Psalm of the first testament. This movement also features a cadenza for the clarinet in a perpetual motion style. The movement concludes with the orchestra joining in the winding fashion, suggesting the praise of a Halleluya.[3]

References
  1. "Ofer Ben Amots' The Klezmer Concerto". Bernstein Artists, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  2. "Germany holds world premiere of Ofer Ben-Amots' "Klezmer Concerto"". Colorado College. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. Ben-Amots, Ofer (2006). Klezmer Concerto. Colorado Springs: The Composer's Own Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-939382-07-8.
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