Clarinet Concerto: Movement II. Danzas Volcanicas
Esteban BenzecryPiece Duration: 4:32
About this Piece
"Danzas Volcanicas" (Volcanic Dances) is the second movement of Benzecry's Clarinet Concerto.
"The movement opens with some emphatic use of the timpani. Gradually the music evolves, in Benzecry’s words, into 'imagined folk themes, pentatonic scales that recall Andean folk music, a carnavalito rhythm [the carnavalito is an ancient folk dance of pre-Columbian origins], multiphonic sounds and a dialogue between the soloist and the percussion, which dance to an irregular rhythm.' The volcanoes never quite erupt, but they seem to provide the rhythmic basis for this movement." - Glyn Pursglove
Disjunct Motion: Heard in the solo clarinet part throughout this movement.
Notable Passages
Time Stamp:
3:58
— 4:25
Description: The ending of Danzas Volcanicas is one of the most dissonant sections of the movement. Over an F# diminished 7 chord (F# A C Eb), we hear the bassoons playing two dissonant notes (F natural and B). Try playing that at the piano!
Keywords: Dissonance
Description: The ending of Danzas Volcanicas is one of the most dissonant sections of the movement. Over an F# diminished 7 chord (F# A C Eb), we hear the bassoons playing two dissonant notes (F natural and B). Try playing that at the piano!
Keywords: Dissonance
Time Stamp:
1:21
— 2:41
Description: Much of this movement is written in an atonal style. At 1:50-2:10, the clarinet briefly plays a melody in a G pentatonic scale, while the accompaniment underneath quietly features a melody using dissonant minor 2nds (ex. D/Eb, C/Db, G#/A). The music continues onward in an atonal style
Keywords: Atonal/Atonality , Dissonance
Description: Much of this movement is written in an atonal style. At 1:50-2:10, the clarinet briefly plays a melody in a G pentatonic scale, while the accompaniment underneath quietly features a melody using dissonant minor 2nds (ex. D/Eb, C/Db, G#/A). The music continues onward in an atonal style
Keywords: Atonal/Atonality , Dissonance