Chiaroscuro was written for a dear friend navigating a very difficult chapter of life. It explores the duality of light and darkness—of clarity and shadow—through an intricate interplay between clarinet and piano. The title comes from the visual arts technique that contrasts brightness and gloom to shape form, presence, and mystery. The piece begins in murk and ambiguity, gradually allowing light to seep in—first as flickers, then as fully articulated figures. Harmonic instability gives way to bold gestures, until both instruments arrive at a place of fragile balance, where opposing forces are not resolved, but held. Chiaroscuro is a meditation on nuance, compassion, and the haunting beauty that can live between extremes. It carries something of Brahms: a warmth suffused with ache.
To inquire about performance rights, licensing, or to commission new work, please contact my agent:
owen@summersartistservices.com
Summers Artist Services