Description

The Blessing Trees
for Clarinet in B-flat and Piano

Duration approximately 8 minutes

The Blessing Trees explores the emotional landscape of our connection to nature. Inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem “Woods,” the work reflects on the quiet reverence found in the forest, where stillness is filled with the subtle music of the natural world. The clarinet and piano interweave timbral colors and lyrical lines, echoing the imagery of a silent wood alive with sound.

As the piece unfolds, the music grows in energy, moving from shadow into light—a reflection on beauty, responsibility, and our role in preserving the fragile ecosystems that surround us. The final moments drift into silence, like wind moving through the trees, leaving space for reflection.

Written for clarinetist Aileen Razey, The Blessing Trees receives its world premiere at ClarinetFest® 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, on a program dedicated to contemplating climate change and our relationship with the natural world.