Concerto for Clarinet [and Orchestra], ca. 1991
I. Maestoso 0:00-11:22
II. Calmo 11:23-22:07
III. Con Brio 22:08-28:17
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John Bruce Yeh, longtime assistant principal clarinetist and E-flat clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performs John Williams's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra with the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Emanuele Andrizzi. The Midwest première occurred on Monday, 5 February 2024, at 7:30 pm (DST) at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
Yeh's performance marks the concerto's first performance outside its original première with then-Los Angeles Philharmonic principal clarinetist Michele Zukovsky and the Riverside County Philharmonic, Williams conducting. The initial première occurred at 8 pm (EDT) on Saturday, 13 April, at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. Richard S. Ginell, then Los Angeles Times chief music critic, gave a less-than-satisfactory review of the initial première, causing Williams to keep the work unpublished and unperformed until both Zukovsky and Yeh made a concerted effort to revive it. Ginell's original review can be found below:
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Riverside-Somehow, the Riverside County Philharmonic found itself with a John Williams world premiere on its hands Saturday night in Municipal Auditorium. Not on that, the Boston Pops maestro was around to conduct his new work, a Concerto for Clarinet written for the much-admired principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Michele Zukovsky. For all the attention that this concert might bring Riverside, the work doesn't do much for Williams' own reputation. About 21 minutes long, the concerto rumbles and meanders about in a generic never-never land between tonality and dissonance. Whatever one may think of them, at least Williams' ubiquitous film scores have a distinctly grandiose personality and flair, whereas this faceless concerto seems to go out of its way to avoid its creator's imprint. The piece did give Zukovsky a good workout with its skittery, showy solo flights over the routine orchestral sheen-and she delivered the goods with agile strength and liquid tone. However, the Riverside orchestra's own contributions were compromised by truly wretched amplification. As bookends for his concerto, Williams hauled out two of his infinitely memorable crowd-pleasers, the March from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Adventures on Earth" from "E.T.," which the orchestra executed with overall cohesion despite some very rough edges. After intermission, the orchestra's music director, Patrick Flynn, too over the baton with a Dvořák "New World" Symphony that settled in vigorously after some misshapen wallowing in the first movement.
Ginell, Richard S. "John Williams Unveils Premiere in Riverside." Los Angeles Times, Monday, 15 April 1991, p. 63. www.newspapers.com/image/175909221.
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CCPA Symphony Orchestra. “CCPA Symphony Orchestra - February 5, 2024.” Conducted by Emanuele Andrizzi. Percussion Soloists: Ed Harrison and Vadim Karpinos. Clarinet Soloist: John Bruce Yeh. Recorded and streamed live from the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL. February 5, 2024. Accessed August 25, 2024. czcams.com/users/liveZ2NaXuPU2Zk.
The audio is an excerpt from the original concert live stream.
Photo by Chad Batka / NYT / Redux, found in Ross, Alex. "The Force Is Still Strong with John Williams." The New Yorker. August 19, 2024. www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-force-is-still-strong-with-john-williams.