As soon as a composer feels the need to step out of the “comfortable prison of the twelve-tone grid”, which the building tradition of most orchestral instruments still offers us today, and to use expanded forms of sound and playing, one is confronted with the fact that the usual way, Picking up the instrument and experimenting with it can be misleading in the case of the clarinet(s). From a purely instrumental perspective, the instrument clarinet does not exist. The two clarinet systems (German and French) differ in some structural details, which not only require different fingering techniques, but also give the instruments different sound characteristics, especially when using advanced playing techniques.

A major challenge was to make the work equally accessible to both clarinet systems without compromising the content. In most cases, detailed system-relevant fingering information was sufficient, but in some places I had to design two versions with different pitches so that certain original sound content could be conveyed equally on both instruments.

So I hope to have composed three miniatures that will succeed in bridging this “gap between the systems” and open equally wide doors to newer forms of expression for performers from the most diverse corners of the clarinet world.

(Márton Illés, 2014)

“‘Három akvarell’ is technically challenging but is also a very effective concert piece which has had a lot of performances already. You can find a good video recording of its premiere on the composer’s website.”
(Mikko Raasakka, The Clarinet)