Down and Dirty

Work Overview

Commission: Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in honor of Inez d’Arcangelo; for Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu
Instrumentation: clarinet and piano
Premiere: August 11, 2023 at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, performed by Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu
Duration: approx. 18 minutes; with alternate 4 movements at around 15 minutes

Program Note

Down and Dirty is a multi-movement work commissioned by the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival for clarinetist Jon Manasse and pianist Jon Nakamatsu. At the time of the initial commissioning dialogue, the performers requested that the composition be in movements so that part of the composition could be played by either soloist when they are not touring together. With that in mind, and after getting to know the performers as virtuosic players, I have composed a work that has a flexible arrangement of movements. The first movement is for clarinet solo, and the fourth movement is for piano solo, allowing either movement to be performed as a standalone solo piece. Additionally, the fifth movement includes the same piano part as the fourth movement but with an added clarinet part and therefore can be performed as an alternate fourth movement if performed as a duo (by skipping the piano solo movement) for a shorter-length work or as a fifth movement (together with the solo piano movement) for the full-length work.

Alternatively each movement can be also performed as a standalone short piece.

I. Freely - Clarinet solo (2’)
II Almost Playful - Menacing - Clarinet and piano (4’)
III. Impassioned - Clarinet and piano (4’)
IV. A Little Down-and-Dirty - Piano solo - optional if performed as a duo performance (4’)
V (or IVa). - A Little More Down-and-Dirty - Clarinet and piano (5’)

The title of the piece is reflected in the subtitles of movements IV and V and refers generally to the virtuosic, gritty, and dynamic playing required of the performers.