Ivan Shekov

3 Impressions

1st-3rd clarinet
4th clarinet (bass clarinet)

The tonal language of my Three Impressions for four clarinets is certainly not modern in the strict sense of the word, but also not romantic, perhaps most likely impressionistic - but without copying the style of the great representatives of impressionism.
How to describe the simple little pieces? Perhaps like this: against a calm background of colorful harmonies and delightful chord combinations, a melody is heard that develops improvisationally, as it were, and presents the listener with a musical fable, rich in sound associations.
The pieces are not atonal. Since they have been notated without pre-signing, the necessary transposition signs thus preceding the notes in question in each case, they can certainly be easily mastered even by young instrumentalists. In the Three Impressions, young clarinetists are introduced to a colorful tonal language that is usually still unfamiliar to them, and which - although technically easy to master - avoids well-trodden paths of melody and harmony formation, thus clearly differing from what sounds daily from loudspeakers into our ears.

Ivan Shekov


Ivan Shekov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1942. He graduated with honors from the Academy of Music in Sofia. While still a student, he studied composition with the famous Bulgarian composer Prof. P. Vladiguerov. Ivan Shekov is also a very famous concert pianist and recorded considerable success in many countries in more than 20 years.
In addition to many compositions for piano, his work also includes a large number of works for wind instruments in the chamber music field.
Since 1980, the composer lives in Germany.