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Sounds of the Islands (Clarinet Concerto)

Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-09-12 00:57

I recently bought this extremely fun concerto myself, along with the live recording that I actually got to attend.

The piece was written by Thomas Oboe Lee and commissioned for the Brockton Symphony Orchestra to be premiered in 2003-2004. The clarinet performance was recorded and premiered by Jonathan Cohler. Being the conductor of the Brockton Symphony, it was Mr. Lee's idea to write a clarinet concerto for the occasion since Cohler is a marvelous clarinetist.

The purpose of the work was to bring attention to the diverse cultures of the recent immigrants that had settled in Brockton, MA. So his inspiration in this work is similar to the sounds of very exciting and fun music from Cape Verde, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Unlike the traditional concerto form, this work begins with something slow (the "morna" of Cape Verde). A fast number follows as a second movement (his take on the "merengue" as performed by Xavier Cugat); and then, after a short, slow interlude (kind of like church music before people go dance the night away), another fast number appear (dance music from Haiti, the reggae).

I recommend this concerto to anyone looking for something new and exciting to perform with an orchestra. It is a very enjoyable work. It is, however, much on the high side of things (Altissimo A's, B's, and C's in the 2nd and 3rd movements). So let's just say that Thomas Oboe Lee definitely took advantage of the clarinet's range!

I am not advertising this for him, I am just throwing out another piece for those who are looking for something different and aren't aware of it.

http://home.comcast.net/~thomas.o.lee/

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Re: Sounds of the Islands (Clarinet Concerto)

Author: Topher
Date: 2004-09-12 14:36

I am intrigued.

Where could I get a copy of this? I checked the online music retailers I know and could find nothing. The location of a sample recording would be nice too.

topher

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Re: Sounds of the Islands (Clarinet Concerto)

Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-09-12 14:58

If you go the website I put in the first post, that is Thomas Oboe Lee's website. From there, you can get his e-mail address and inquire about purchasing a copy and score. I paid $20 for mine.

Also, if you can answer his question on the website, you can win yourself a free CD, even the one with the clarinet concerto on it like I got.

If you don't answer it correctly, I'm sure he'd let you buy it, too.

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