Snake in the Garden


Clarinet and orchestra or wind ensemble, 2004

Duration: 12 minutes

Instrumentation:
(orchestra version)
Solo Clarinet in Bb
2 Flutes (2. Piccolo)
2 Oboes
Clarinet in Bb
Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in C
2 Trombones
Tuba
Timpani
2 Percussion
Strings

(wind ensemble version)
Solo Clarinet in Bb
2 Flutes (2. Piccolo)
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon
Contra-bassoon
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
4 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in Bb
2 Trombones
Tuba
Timpani
3 Percussion
Double Bass

Program note:
Snake in the Garden is a loose rendering of the tale of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden.  The solo clarinet intrudes with dissonant material upon an idyllic opening by the orchestra, tempting the ensemble into an extended dance.  The creator’s wrath is heard twice: the first time followed by a brief, seductive cadenza; the second time leading to a return of the opening material, where the dissonant music of the solo clarinet is integrated into the idyllic garden music.

Orchestral version recorded by Richard Stoltzman, clarinet, with the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Kirk Trevor, conductor.  MMC Records, MMC2162 (2007).
listen

Wind Ensemble version recorded by The University of Florida Wind Symphony, 2013.
listen

Published by Jeanné, Inc., 2008.