Although the concerto repertoire for clarinet is broad, promoters often play it safe by programming Mozart’s perennial favourite, or perhaps Weber or Nielsen if they’re being daring. The Philharmonia is striking out though, commissioning a new concerto by Joseph Phibbs written for its principal clarinettist, Mark van de Wiel, which premieres in Basingstoke and London next week. We caught up with composer and soloist.
How did this concerto come about?
JP: In 2014, David Whelton, the Philharmonia’s then Managing Director, suggested to Mark the idea of commissioning a full-length Clarinet Concerto. I was thrilled and incredibly touched when Mark approached me to write the work, and accepted at once, with Mark coming in as the work’s main co-commissioner. Malmö Live Konserthus subsequently joined the commission, at the suggestion of their Head of Programming, Per Hedberg. Ideas started to form very soon after the work was suggested, though the bulk of the composing was done between the summer of last year and this year.
Mark, what are the challenges that Joseph has set you?
MvdW: Joe’s new concerto is an amazing and bold response to this commission, with inventive writing for the orchestra and myself. It uses few extended techniques but is highly challenging. I asked for a real virtuoso concerto. I also mentioned to Joe that I’d noticed that much of his music I’d played was mainly slow but with fast sections, and that I’d like this concerto to be the other way around. I got my wish on both counts!
Can you describe the element of collaboration between you?
JP: The clarinet is one of my favourite instruments. I wrote a concertino for clarinet, strings, and harp for Sarah Williamson and The Orchestra of the Swan in 2009. This new work is longer and more virtuosic, and on an expressive level more unsettled and ambiguous. My recent large-scale orchestral works all feature clarinet solos of varying lengths. It was with Mark in mind that I wrote an interlude for clarinet and strings as part of Rivers to the Sea, an orchestral work written for the Philharmonia/Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2012.
Mark made two requests at the outset: that he’d ideally like a mostly fast piece, and one which was a genuine concerto in the sense that the clarinet is the true protagonist. This piece was composed during a difficult time, and Mark was very sensitive about simply letting me get on with the writing of it, and – crucially – always positive and encouraging about what I sent.
MvdW: Once the completed score had arrived, I began working on it. As I got to know the piece and formed an idea of how I should play it, I came up with a number of suggestions concerning articulation (in particular adding more tonguing), tempo (for example the slow sections are now a little slower than originally marked), and in a very few places the notes, in order to gain sonority. In fact we recently agreed to omit a few bars towards the end of the cadenza in order to tighten up the structure, something which only became apparent once I’d learnt to play the cadenza and understood its pacing. Unfortunately the few omitted bars are not one of the most difficult passages!
JP: What’s been gratifying for me is that all Mark’s suggestions following the work’s completion have shown an extraordinary understanding of what I was striving for and his immediate grasp of the work’s expressive intentions has been very exciting to witness.
Are there any particular qualities of Mark’s playing which you wanted to feature?
JP: I’ve known Mark’s playing since 1998, mostly in his capacity as Principal Clarinet in both the London Sinfonietta and Philharmonia, and we’ve become close friends over the years. I’ve always had great admiration for his playing and, given the breadth of repertoire he performs, from Mozart through to contemporary works, decided to write a work which would demonstrate the different expressive facets of his playing, as well as his technical brilliance. In addition to the sheer beauty of sound he produces, it was his versatility I aimed to explore in this work.