Premiere: Anna Clyne’s Weathered

Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne was last year’s most performed living female British composer, now her new work, a clarinet concerto meditating on the theme of decay, is set to receive its UK premiere by the the Philharmonia Orchestra in a concert curated and conducted by violinist-conductor Pekka Kuusisto at the Royal Festival Hall this week (23 March).

The eighth most performed composer in the world and the Philharmonia's featured composer this season, Clyne explores the beauty of worn down, re-shaped and damaged objects in her new work Weathered which will be heard for the first time in the UK on Thursday. Completed in 2022, the concerto received its world premiere in January from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Jaap van Zweden. Clarinettist Martin Fröst who gave the premiere performance will also perform the work at this week’s concert.

Clyne said: ‘For this upcoming UK premiere, I am looking forward to hearing conductor Pekka Kuusisto’s interpretation of the music in collaboration with Martin. I’m excited to hear the piece again - now that Martin has lived with it for more time – I’m curious as to whether any of his interpretations have changed – and I’m especially curious to hear his cadenza, which is completely improvised – based on themes from the concerto.’

Having trained as a cellist herself, Clyne spent time listening to recordings of clarinet repertoire, especially those featuring Fröst himself, to become more familiar with the capabilities of the instrument – both characteristically and technically. As part of this research process, she also met Fröst to talk about his own unique approach to the clarinet.

Clyne recalled: ‘Before writing a note, Martin and I met on a Zoom call so that he could share a variety of extended techniques that were new to me – such as singing at the same time as playing, harmonics, the agility of certain licks, and the possibilities at the extreme highest register of the instrument – all of which manifest in the solo clarinet part for Weathered. Following this initial meeting, I wrote five sketches for solo clarinet and after each one was complete, Martin and I again met on Zoom to share feedback on the sketches... I’m very grateful for Martin’s collaborative spirit during this process and feel it has made for a stronger, more idiosyncratic piece.’

Taking the form of five five-minute movements, Weathered explores in turn a rusted bridge, a broken heart, a wind-worn castle, a majestic forest, and a warming planet. Clyne has chosen instruments reflecting each element; tubular bells and metal pipes for the decaying metal of the bridge, and the playful, bouncing gestures of a skipping stone on a lake to reflect the stone walls of the castle.

The work also touches on the more recent themes of the Covid-19 pandemic and the increasing urgency of climate change, with the final movement opening with what Clyne describes as a ‘fanfare-like figure in the brass – a sounding alarm to bring our attention to the crisis that long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns is bringing upon us. We are at a critical point.’

The concerto forms part of a programme of works hand-picked by Kuusisto focusing on composers’ interpretations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The concert will feature Bellini’s Sinfonia from I Capuleti e i Montecchi, the Fantasy Overture from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

You can find out more about the concert, including tickets, here.