Stefan Heucke

Sonata Op. 23

The Sonata for bass clarinet or violoncello and piano was composed in the spring of 1995 at the suggestion of the Dutch bass clarinetist Henri Bok, to whom the work is also dedicated. The three movements have a strong narrative, speaking character. The first movement is developed from two lyrical thoughts, which rise to a dramatic climax in the middle, only to sink with funeral march-like gestures at the end.The variation movement represents the function of the scherzo. In it, the virtuoso possibilities of the two partners are used in various, mainly rhythmically influenced forms.
The Elegy that concludes the piece is a sprawling lament that lets the bass clarinet / cello wander through the most extreme registers. At the end the piece fades away with rapturous harmonics of the bass clarinet / cello and bell sounds of the piano plucked with a plectrum.- Stefan Heucke