Suite for Clarinet and Viola
Dedicated to my dear friend and colleague Thea Rosmulder
In the extraordinary summer of 2022, at the end of almost two years of the coronavirus when it was still unclear whether we would be facing yet another lock- down, I set myself the task of writing a piece for my friend and colleague Thea Rosmulder, a clarinetist. It became a suite.
The whole of that year was extremely unusual. It was rather warm in the winter, though a Covid wave meant we had to stay at home. All events were can- celled, and when we were allowed to start up again, everyone naturally wanted to play and attend concerts. We were so busy that we didn’t notice when spring came. Suddenly it was April, and it was warm.
Summer came early, and I took this as an opportu- nity to call my work for clarinet and viola “Four Sea- sons”. Not “The Four Seasons”, of course, because they’re by Vivaldi, and that’s how it should stay.
In August, when we played this suite together for the first time, it was so warm that the trees had already shed their fruit: it was autumn in the midst of summer.
We tumble into winter, year after year. 2021/22 was again very mild, which was no bad thing on the face of it. After all, many households were unable to afford the skyrocketing energy prices triggered by the war in Ukraine.
Then autumn came in spring! With lots of rain! People spent less time outdoors and almost missed the blossoming of the trees, the scents of spring and the singing of the birds.
Whatever we want to eat, everything’s available all year round. But perhaps this isn’t good for our climate? Should we perhaps buy less from the supermarket, and instead purchase more seasonal, regional product from the local farmers at the market?
From the summer of 2022 onwards, I made it my mission to show a deeper appreciation of the seasons, to go outside, to breathe in the air, to ask myself what scents I can discern, and to watch how the trees adapt to the different times of year.
My suite “Four Seasons” begins with autumn be- cause I love that season so much: the trees and the leaves glisten in the loveliest colors while the wind and the rain offer us the opportunity to conjure up the magic of Christmas in our homes.
I hope that I have been able to capture in music my fascination for the cycle of the seasons.
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