ROWDY RED: THE STRUTTING FERRET (clarinet quartet)

INSTRUMENTATION: Clarinet Quartet (3 Bb Clarinets and Bass Clarinet)

DURATION: c. 7:00

YEAR COMPOSED: 2022

Commissioned by Radford University

THIS IS A DIGITAL PRODUCT: Purchase includes digital download of score and a complete set of parts in PDF format.

PROGRAM NOTE:

After a string of Very Serious Compositions on topics like sorrow, the year 2020, and the war in Ukraine, I needed to let loose with something a bit more fun and whimsical. “Rowdy Red (The Strutting Ferret)” is the result. The title comes from the character of the music: there is something very confident, even cocky about it (the “strut”), yet also something a bit absurd about it (the “ferret”), and it made the commissioner think of the (in their words) “horrendous” former mascot of Radford University, called “Rowdy Red.” It should be performed with a lot of style, character, and panache. Dixieland and/or klezmer inflections are welcome. Have fun!