Take a look at Fin de la Tierra – Conductor’s Score
Watch the World Premiere Below!
Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End
Concerto for Clarinet in B-flat with Chamber Orchestra
Music by Jenni Brandon
World Premiere during ClarinetFest 2023 – Denver, Colorado
Jeremy Reynolds – Clarinet Soloist
Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra
Wes Kenney -Music Director
Saturday, July 8, 2023 – 8pm
Westin Hotel, Westminster Ballroom
Commercial recording coming in 2025
Clarinet and Piano Version available June 2024 (currently part of a Commissioning Consortium)
To Purchase Score and Parts – please visit Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End Concerto for Clarinet in B-Flat with Chamber Orchestra – Jenni Brandon
Interested in programming this work? Both Jenni and soloist Jeremy Reynolds are available for residencies and pre-concert talks surrounding performances of the work. Contact Jenni for more information.
Duration approximately 19:30
Instrumentation
Solo Clarinet in B-flat
Piccolo/Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1 & 2
Clarinet in B-flat 1
Clarinet in B-flat 2/Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1 & 2
Horn in F 1 & 2
Trumpet in B-flat 1 & 2
Percussion 1 (Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal, Snare Drum, Congas, Vibraphone)
Percussion 2 (Timpani, Glockenspiel, Triangle, Tambourine, Wind Chimes, Bass Drum)
Percussion 3 (Crotales, Glockenspiel Chimes, Marimba)
Harp
Celesta
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Violoncello
Double Bass
Program Note
At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico is the famous “El Arco” (the Arch). The granite rock formations not only mark the most southwestern point of Baja, California, but also serve as a separation between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) known as “Fin de la Tierra” or Land’s End. A study in contrast, this area from El Arco and continuing around the eastern side of Baja into Cabo Pulmo National Park encompasses what Jacques Cousteau once called “the world’s aquarium”.
In this 18-minute concerto for Clarinet in B-flat and Chamber Orchestra, the diverse ecosystem of this area is explored. The clarinet soloist serves as a guide, taking us on a journey through this UNESCO World Heritage site to observe the beauty and diversity of the landscape, the water, the animals that live in and around it, and their symbiotic relationship that requires a delicate balance of conservation and exploration. The orchestra and the clarinet soloist provide that symbiotic relationship as the ensemble becomes the water, the rock sentries at Land’s End, and the many colors of the sea, underwater life, and wind and waves that make up the beauty of this seascape.
 Seahorse |
 Goatfish |
 Trumpetfish |
 Long-Spine Porcupinefish |
The clarinet gives us a view from above and below the water, sometimes with a bird’s eye view of the rock formations, then dipping below the surface of the Sea to follow the many colorful fish that make this area their home. Some that appear in this work include Sea Horses, a school of Goat Fish, Trumpetfish, and Long-Spined Porcupinefish. A special part of this concerto is a solo by the clarinet as it tells the story of the Munk’s Devil Ray, or Mobula Ray. Tens of thousands of these rays gather here in April-June, breaching the water like popcorn and making a spectacular show unique to this area. This solo will be expanded beyond the concerto version to become a stand-alone solo for Clarinet.
Mobula Rays
Beyond the exploration of this beautiful area through the colors of the clarinet and orchestra, this work hopes to bring attention to the importance of conservation of such places in the world that we all may continue to enjoy and protect these areas for generations to come.
Commissioned by Dr. Jeremy Reynolds for premiere during the 2023 ClarinetFest in Denver, Colorado.
This is a single-movement work with sections:
- Where the Pacific Ocean Meets the Sea of Cortez
- Rock Sentries
- The World’s Aquarium
About soloist Dr. Jeremy Reynolds
Clarinetist Dr. Jeremy W. Reynolds joined the faculty of the University of Denver Lamont School of Music after performing as Principal Clarinetist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Reynolds has performed on six continents making his Carnegie Hall Debut in 2015 with the Waldland Ensemble. In addition to his faculty position he also serves as Assistant Principal Clarinet with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Reynolds has concertized for the International Clarinet Association’s ClarFest, ClariBogota, Clarimania (Poland), Cultural Festival of Portugal’s World Exposition, Australian Clarinet and Saxophone Festival, International Alliance for Women in Music, University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, International Double Reed Society, National Flute Convention, and the Great Southwest Flute Fest. Equally in demand in an orchestral setting, Reynolds has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra (Japan), Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Fresno Philharmonic, New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and at the Aspen Music Festival. He has recorded for MSR Records, Australian Broadcasting Association, Carl Fischer Publishing Company, Potenza Music, Mark Records, and Summit.
Reynolds brings dynamic chamber music performances to the concert stage as a member of the Tucson Symphony Wind Quintet, Lamont Wind Quintet and Agassiz Duo. He has also presented concerts for the Sedona Chamber Music Festival. Reynolds has won awards at both the Coleman and Carmel National Chamber Music Competitions additionally collaborating with esteemed artists Itzhak Perlman, Don Weilerstein, Paul Katz, Ronald Leonard, Stefan Milenkovich, and Merry Peckham.
As a passionate educator, Reynolds has been invited to teach in some of the world’s most renowned music conservatories including the Grieg Academy of Music, Norwegian Academy of Music, Mahler Private University, Conservatoire de Versailles, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Seoul National University, Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya and Conservatorio de Música de Murcia in Spain as well as Soochow University and Tainan University of the Arts in Taiwan. He has been a guest lecturer for San Francisco Symphony’s Keeping Score program and has held teaching positions at the Rocky Ridge Music Center, Bay View Music Festival, Idyllwild Arts Summer Program, Northern Arizona University, University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and California State University Long Beach.
His principal teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Monica Kaenzig, Michelle Zukovsky, David Howard, Richard Hawley, Bil Jackson, Ted Oien, Michael Galvan and David Minelli.
Reynolds is a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist and Clinician and Lomax Classic Mouthpiece Artist.