Description

Aviaquatis for solo clarinet/bass clarinet and electronics* (duration: 12′)

for Taylor Thompson

Aviaquatis was commissioned by clarinetist Taylor Thompson as an accessible electroacoustic work with multiple points of entry for musicians at all levels of familiarity performing with electronics. Given Taylor’s love of birds and the ocean, the concept of the piece developed easily: inspired by four seabirds—the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), the gulls of the family Laridae, the wandering albatross (Diomedia exulans), and the tropicbirds of the family Phaethontidae—the piece presents musical images of each bird in turn. First the clarinet becomes the frigatebird, imitating its birdsong over an ambient backdrop. The soloist is then joined by a flock of gulls in a playful, jazz-inspired romp before once again posing as a bird, this time the albatross, where the bass clarinet and its key clicks are perfectly suited for a depiction of the world’s largest seabird and its clattering calls. Finally, we soar with the tropicbirds in a grooving, energetic finale—get ready to take flight!

*only the solo clarinet part is available for immediate download upon purchase. Please contact me at trptcj@gmail.com if you wish to perform Aviaquatis so we can discuss integration of the electronics.