Ramp

Description

Bass Clarinet — Ramp was commissioned by clarinetist Gleyton Pinto at the University of Colorado - Boulder during the Fall of 2023. He had recently acquired a new bass clarinet and planned to record an album of new works into the winter months. This was my first non-piano solo work in decades, and the challenge of writing such a work never escaped my acknowledgment. As these four pages progress, the music tries to achieve higher and even higher perches through twists and turns, different genres, and varied extended techniques, until finally the player reaches the zenith atop a culminating arpeggio. Ramp is a piece of virtuosity for aspiring musicians, lasting 3-4 minutes. In this short and wild ride free of barlines, Pann’s fantasical imagination gives bass clarinetists an excitement-packed adventure. The composer has written, “As these four pages progress, the music tries to achieve higher and even higher perches through twists and turns, different genres, and varied extended techniques until finally the player reaches the zenith atop a culminating arpeggio. RAMP is a piece of virtuosity for aspiring musicians, lasting 3-4 minutes.”