Double Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Cello by Anthony Ritchie Opus 93

Double Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Cello

by Anthony Ritchie, Opus 93

The slow movements explore issues of life and death, while the two quick movements provide an energetic and bright contrast. The wide range of both solo instruments is explored.

YEAR: 1999
DURATION: 19'15
COMMISSIONED BY: Andrew Uren and Katherine Hebley (K.A.H.U.)
INSTRUMENTATION: This score is in C. The orchestral part is designed to be playable by regional orchestras. It consists of the following forces: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in B flat 2 percussionists: bass drum, side drum, glockenspiel, xylophone, suspended cymbal, strings (up to 8 7 6 5 2 approx.)
LEVEL: 2 | Proficient amateurs and students

Listen to a sample

Programme Note

The Double Concerto was commissioned by Andrew Uren (bass clarinet) and Katherine Hebley (cello) with funding from Creative New Zealand. It was designed to explore the unusal combination of solo instruments, extend the soloists and, at the same time, be performable by regional orchestras.

1. Lullaby for Annabelle The opening movement has a lilting quality and is based on the Brahms' lullaby, which only appears (abridged) at the end, played on glockenspiel. The three themes that appear in this movement are related, in some way, to this lullaby. The movement is dedicated to my daughter Annabelle, who was born some months before the composition of this work. A short melody based on letters from her name (A-A-B-E-E) is played by the soloists in the coda.

2. Fast Dance By contrast, the second movement is fast and jagged, with a somewhat playful second theme shared between the soloists and woodwinds. The main theme has a toccata-like quality, and builds up to a strong conclusion.

3. In memoriam, for Angela Whereas birth was the theme behind the first movement, it is death that concerns the third, and in particular the sudden death of a close friend and musician, Angela Campbell, at the time of writing this concerto. It is an intimate piece for the two soloists only, and based on letters from Angela's name (A-G-E-A) which are heard at the beginning as a recurrent bass line. The cello melody at the start is a variation on a melody from the first movement, suggesting birth and death are inextricably linked.

4. Waltz The mood lightens in the finale which is a slightly bizarre waltz based on two contrasting themes. Near the end, the soloists have a cadenza which flows into the coda uninterrupted.

Buy the right to download a pdf score, including separate solo parts, online, and permission to duplicate or print it as required for one orchestra or duo: NZ$40.00 (For orchestral parts and a piano reduction, contact us.)

Orders are saved in a secure Paypal shopping cart which is viewed on a separate browser tab. When you have finished shopping, simply Check Out for a Secure Guest check out using your credit card, or to use an existing Paypal account choose Paypal Check Out.
Orders are processed every 5 minutes. An email with a link to each file should arrive within 6 minutes of checking out. If it does not arrive we will likely notice during a New Zealand working day but please send an email to bellbirdpublications at gmail dot com if you have any problems with ordering.