Just before Xmas, 2006, I received an email and letter from Michel Paris, the artistic director of the French clarinet ensmeble, La Cl� des Anches, based in Perpignan.
Michel writes: Our ensemble comprises 20 amateur clarinets (1 Eb, 15 Bb, 2 Eb alto, 1 Bb bass clarinet, and percussion) who all share their passion for music and performance, and which we then share with our audience.
We strive to include all kinds of music in our concerts: classical, jazz, folk & contemporary. We are certainly the only clarinet choir in the Languedoc Roussillon area of France - see attached photo.
I am happy to oblige with this special arrangement which, whilst based on the wind quintet version, does have a few little extra tweaks, to accommodate the different ranges, and qualities of the clarinet family!
At the request of Alan Taylor, a student at Trinity College of Music, I have now added a version of the Alto Clarinet part, transposed for the regular Bb instrument.
N.B. In the present economic climate, a good number of smaller ensembles understandably buy just the set of parts as, in reality, these alone are all that is needed in performance. Equally, a similar number buy both the parts and the full score. To compensate for this, I intend to reduce the cost of the full score by $4, and increase the price of the lead part by $3, a differential that wasn't available to sellers at the former SibeliusMusic.com.