“Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette”, by Jenni Brandon, was performed at ClarinetFest 2022 on Sunday, July 3, 2022 by Hilary Lowery, clarinet. The concert was titled Silent Voices Project.

ClarinetFest® 2022 took place in Reno/Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA, June 29-July 3, 2022. The ClarinetFest® 2022 program centered around the theme of Connecting People, Ideas and Cultures. The conference also featured performances by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra as well as emerging and established artists in solo and ensemble settings.

“Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette” tells a story about nature as told by the clarinet’s agile voice. The French titles and basis of the pieces were inspired by the lyrical and pastoral quality of the French language and the images it invokes. The piece is also inspired by the images presented in Aesop’s fables (and Jean de la Fontain’s retelling of them); in particular, the movement “Le Lièvre et la Tortue” tells of the slow tortoise beating the fast hare with his patience and determination. Both creatures are represented in this movement, from the plodding of the tortoise to the quick movements of the hare.

The other movements also represent a variety of characters and situations from these famous fables. “Le Poisson” darts, “Le Papillon” flutters and floats, “L’étoile” shimmers in the night sky, nature ‘dances’, and “Le Serpent” is slippery and quick.  Each movement is short, but just long enough to evoke a story and create a ‘song of nature’ for the clarinet.

I. Les Oiseaux
II. Le Poisson
III. Le Papillon
IV. Le Lièvre et La Tortue
V. L’Etoile
VI. Dansez!
VII. Le Serpent

This work appears on Jenni’s CD Songs Of California: Music For Winds And Piano

Performance by Carrie RavenStem of Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette during the 2020 Woodwind Fest

“Chansons de la Nature pour la Clarinette” is available from Jenni’s website at the this link Chansons de la nature pour la clarinette – solo B-flat clarinet sheet music (jennibrandon.com)