Daniel Perlongo

Bb Clarinet and String Quartet

The movements may be performed separately.
ANTIQUE SERENADE unfolds in 7 sections with variations of an initial theme. "Antique" refers to the idealized nature of the musical materials -- the conjunct melodies, classical phrase structure, consonant harmony, and transparent field in which multiple events unfold simultaneously -- that appear to form musical archetypes as familiar as if we already and always knew them. The "serenade" sings as if from ancient times, at the same time casual and yet faintly other-worldly, like an antique object inwardly resonating with echoes of its archaic past.

SUNBURST, bright, flashing, bursting in all directions, is a celebration in sound. As an initial theme develops, we become aware of a continuous line, almost relentless, within its strongly syncopated surroundings. Perlongo exploits the clarinet's high register creatively and energetically. Together with the dominant lively tempo, the composer conveys the impression of a sunburst with the uninhibited clarinet wailing over the quartet. The quartet's relationship with the clarinet, beginning as two contending forces, ends up as a collaboration at the idyllic sequence of the finale. According to Perlongo, "the listener is left with an echo, a taste of togetherness."