Tasman Suite

Description

Clarinet in Bb, Piano — TASMAN SUITE is gratefully dedicated to my dear friend, and clarinetist, Heather Monkhouse, who premiered the piece in Hobart, Tasmania at the Conservatorium of Music. I was delighted to be able to attend this performance, and also to see the sights that were the inspiration of the piece! I had already seen photographs of the beautiful and inspiring scenery, and I wanted to write a work that was evocative of this extraordinary "Island State" of Australia! When I subsequently traveled to Tasmania and Australia, a real trip of a lifetime for me, I SO enjoyed seeing the sights in person!The first movement, Hobart, is a tuneful portrait of that wonderful and colorful city with fascinating architecture, and lots of life and activity.  This movement has a cheerful and rhythmic vitality, with tuneful melodies and the clarinet “singing” throughout, capturing the energy of this charming and lively city. Melodic motives are tossed back and forth between the clarinet and piano, creating a playfulness and a feeling of joy.  Cradle Mountain, the second movement, is a musical depiction of the beautiful and dramatic scenery of this amazing mountain rising up behind a deep blue lake. I had the good fortune of seeing this on a bright, sunny day, and the colors were intense, the mountainous landscape wonderfully sculpted and grand. They were amazingly reflected in the lake, creating a true “painting”! The music has rich sonorities, with the clarinet’s expressive melodies and the piano’s rich, resonant harmonies portraying this glorious landscape. The third movement, Wineglass Bay, depicts the Sandy Beach, with deep blue colors of the water, gently lapping along the shore. The music here has a tuneful, lilting melody, and a gentle compound rhythm, giving the feeling of rising and falling as the waves are both mesmerizing and peaceful. The music suggests a song, even a sea shanty, with an evocative melody.Huon Valley, the final movement, presents the grandeur of Mother Nature in all her glory.  The Valley has an Alpine feel to it, and what impressed me most was the astonishing array of colors. It is mountainous with deep green valleys, and also colorful with beautiful trees and bushes. The music is both majestic and grand, also possessing a feeling of peace and tranquility. The clarinet continues to sing gentle, lilting melodies with a feeling of tranquility, ending this musical visit to Tasmania with a feeling of peace and joy and beauty. One look at the clarinet part for Ewazen’s TASMAN SUITE is all it takes to be enticed by this richly lyrical work, Ewazen’s first major composition for clarinet and piano. The Brahmsian sweeping gestures and Ewazen’s neo-romantic language make this 17-minute work a warm and delightful vehicle to portray the composer’s impressions of his trip to the Australian island of Tasmania.

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