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Still Here: Music of Sorrow, Resilience, and Joy, for clarinet and piano
A program of four musical works that explore the various shades and colors of sorrow, joy, and resilience – and the ways in which they can intimately intertwine with one another.
The centerpiece of the program is Jonathan Russell’s 2022 composition “Still Here” for clarinet and piano. Inspired by the courage and resolve of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression, the piece is dedicated to all oppressed peoples in all times and places, who assert through culture, art, music, and community that they are “still here.”
Russell’s other composition, “Sonata #2 for Bass Clarinet and Piano” is lighter and groove-driven but with darker underpinnings lurking below the surface. Francis Poulenc’s colorful and character-rich “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano” and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s poignant “Sorrow Songs” round out the program.
The concert will be performed by Jonathan Russell, clarinet and bass clarinet, and Solon Gordon, piano.