Times in a Place (2014, rev. 2021), for Clarinet in Bb, ’Cello, and Piano

This is a transcription of my 2nd piano trio, with the violin part substantially revised for clarinet; the transition from the 2nd movement to the 3rd has been changed, as well as a number of details in the ‘cello and piano. These sounds were loosely inspired by (mostly) fond reminiscences of my youth in rural Michigan, with the school year as the time scale. $25, including piano score, parts, and demo disk. Order here. You can check out the original piano trio version here.

October was one of the most beautiful times, with crisp air and brightly leaved birch, maple, and beech trees, a great time to be outdoors. About 5:00.

February brings another sort of beauty, with its cold, white blanket of deep quiet conducive to solitude and flights of fancy; it concludes with a brief overlapping quotations of My Funny Valentine. Essentially a piano solo; about 4:00.

June is spring, which by then feels well earned; it’s more a time of beginning than ending. It begins with a sassy paraphrase of the well-worn Pomp and Circumstance march, and also quotes an ostinato from a piece I wrote for my college rock band. Toward the end is a drifting rendition of Auld Lang Syne. About 3:55. I’d rather not offer more detail than that, and there is little more anyway. I hope listeners will mine their memories and sentiments to find some nice ones from their own Octobers, Februarys, and Junes.