Giacomo Susani : Sonata for Clarinet in Bb and Guitar : Doberman – Yppan

Giacomo Susani

Doberman – Yppan : Score and separate parts (20, 9 and 12 pages respectively )

Susani, a London – based player, composer, and performer has produced here a three – movement work in a modern but tonal style. It opens with a bouncy rhythmed Allegro Festoso which begins with its first theme in 4/4, but with plenty of cross rhythms, rather than 4 crotchets with the melody beginning on the clarinet accompanied by some colourful chords, before swapping at bar 15 with the melody going to the guitar and some flowing arpeggios in the clarinet. Then the second theme enters in a mix of 2, 3, and 4 crotchets to a bar and still having plenty of off – beat rhythms in both parts. At the end of this there is a repeat back to the beginning, and then the two themes re- emerge with multiple variations in both parts. It is fair to say that the parts are quite tricky and both players have to be very good. After a long middle section full of the time changes and cross rhythms of the second theme, the opening guitar chords re – enter (again subtly different) until the coda establishes the cross – rhythm chords in its final few bars.

The second movement is quite a contrast, marked Andante Meditativo, molto liberamente and with a dropped 6^th to D and being very free in its rhythms here. A poco piu mosso complete with accelerandi and allargandi, and some more modern harmonies then leads to an Andantino Cantabile with mostly semi – quaver writing in both parts and a number of time changes including 5/8, 2/4, 3/8 and 3/4. A new Quasi Adagio , liberamente in 3 / 4 then becomes the Coda where a Lentissimo of a low clarinet melody and arpeggiated guitar chords, similar to the opening closes the movement on a chord of (from low to high) D, F#, G, Bb and a top A .

The final movement is an Allegro Vivace again in a multitude of time signatures , with the clarinet having mostly semi – quaver runs and the guitar keeping the off – beat rhythm going with  (largely) chords, an idea that continues until the guitar’s chords become rasgueado and the clarinet generally plays long notes. This continues throughout the last section with fortissimo chords and a huge climactic coda where the clarinet plays a long top A , and the guitar plays rasgueado C chords, ending with a sforzando C chord.

This is modern and very rhythmic but still relatively pleasant music that really does require two very good players.

Chris Dumigan