Rodgers, Sarah: Spanish Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
£9.95
Standard: Advanced
Spanish Sonata is written in a lively and approachable idiom that will appeal to many players and their teachers. In three widely contrasted movements, it looks set to become a regular concert item, and reflects the diverse interests of its composer, Sarah Rodgers, in the many popular and folk idioms of contemporary music.
As implied in the title, there is a distinctly Hispanic mood informing all three movements. It was written by Sarah Rodgers for a concert tour of Spain by Geraldine Allen in 1990.
The first movement opens with a cadenza (which includes a brief flutter-tongued section in the lowest register), then proceeds with a movement that has three different tempi, two quite slow, one fast.
The second movement entitled ‘The Rod of Sorrow’ is a lament that requires brief improvised flourishes. The final, alternating 3/4 and 6/8, sounds a distant cousin of Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez. It is full of rhythmic teases, giving it great vitality.
This is a very impressive work, substantial and enjoyable.
Gordon Egerton, Music Teacher Magazine