Susurra
(2025)
6 minutes
Solo Clarinet
Performance Information
Commissioned by Nancy Braithwaite

Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash
About
The title Susurra (Latin for "whispers") sets the stage for a collection of short vignettes, each meticulously exploring a different facet of the clarinet’s expressive personality.
The first movement, Murmuro ("murmur"), is built on a foundation of hushed, spinning gestures. Repeated figures return in constantly shifting rhythmic guises: a technique that becomes increasingly exaggerated in the middle section, where the unstable patterns lend the music an almost "drunken," off-kilter momentum.
Following this restlessness, Cantico ("hymn" or "song") offers a delicate, lyrical respite. This central movement provides a moment of stillness between the rhythmically intricate outer sections, showcasing the clarinet’s cantabile (singing) qualities. The suite concludes with Divertimento, a quirky and effusive scherzo. This finale is the work’s most outwardly dance-like movement, full of spirited energy that builds toward a brilliant, driving coda.