To keep this thing alive...
What's everyone's favorite solo piece (concerto with piano or orchestra) or concert piece with an awesome clarinet part in it, or favorite duet, trio, quartet, quintet (any of those with any other instruments within the ensemble)?
I love:
The Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Weber's First and Second Clarinet Concertos (I enjoy the First the most, though. The Second has a few too many runs (tonguing) for me. lol).
Weber Concertino
Nielsen Clarinet Concerto (but holy crap...I can't tongue quite that fast. lol)
The Copeland Clarinet Concerto (I'm not much of a jazz person, but to me, this doesn't really fit completely into the "jazz" genre completely...)
I've never played the Weber Quintet (clarinet and strings), but I've heard Sabine Meyer play it, and I love it.
The Finzi Clarinet Concerto (Gerald Finzi composed it)
Five Bagatelles by Gerald Finzi
The Brahms First Sonata
The Brahms Second Sonata (I like this one more. I mainly like the Allegro Amabile and the Allegro appassionato).
Almost everything that Mozart wrote for clarinet(s) (his quintet).
The Saint Saens Sonata (the Lento movement freaks me out a little...lol)
The Poulenc Sonata (never played it, but I like it...the one just for Bb...the one for Bb AND A clarinets (playing together) is kind of weird...but would probably be fun to play).
As far as concert pieces:
Vesuvius (Frank Ticheli...LOVE this piece!)
Blue Shades (never played it...but I've gotten some of the extended clarinet solo by ear. lol)
Variations on a Korean Folk Song by John Barnes Chance
My Jesus, Oh What Anguish! By J.S. Bach
Fantasia in G by Timothy Mahr
Kinetic Engery by someone...
A Hymn for the Lost and Living by Eric Ewazen (incredible clarinet part, and incredibly beautiful. It's a memoriam for 9/11..I cry everytime I hear it.)
Fandango by someone..I can't remember...But I love it. I miss it. lol.
West Highland Sojurn by Robert Sheldon (not hard, but incredibly fun...and a beautiful clarinet solo in the 2nd movement.
Danse Celestial by Robert Sheldon (I sight read it at OYS, and it's pretty fun. I didn't get to play half of it because the keys on my lower joint got stuck, so I was being wonder woman...Some pad was messing up as well (got that replaced though!
)
The Third Symphony, Op. 89 by James Barns...SOOOO Sad! Mr. Barns and his wife were having a kid, and the child was still born, and he had to get his emotions out, so he wrote this symphony. Then he and his wife had a kid, and it lived...and so the last movement his joyous and everything...one of the movements is titled "For Natalie". Natalie was their child who was still born. I cried my eyes out when I first heard it live...
Dance of the Jesters...yes!!!
Der Traum des Oenghus, Teil 1. (I've never played it, but I heard it live, and it would be really fun to play. The director I had at SWOSU this past summer actually directed Der Traum des Oenghus, Teil 1 when I heard it first).
Divertimetal (same conductor)
Amazing Grace
American Riversongs (Not hard...it was a little challenging in 8th grade, but MAN was that fun!)
Die Wacht Am Rhein, Marsch
White River Ballad (David Gorham)
Theme From "Green Bushes" (Percy Grainger)
Kingsbridge Overture (David Gorham)
Okay...I don't want to bore everyone to death...because I could probably go on for like...ever. Let's just say I love a lot of pieces...solo or ensemble wise...lol.
(By the way...what does everyone think of their music for All-Region, All-State, ect., ect...? I like mine. I used to hate the faster piece, but I've grown to like it.)