The Opener

By Steffen Schorn (b. 1967) Jimmy Abrahamson, bass clarinet Joe Clark, contrabass clarinet When I told Mr. Grant I wanted to perform a piece on contrabass, he immediately recalled a duet for bass and contrabass played by Andy Grenci and Greg Case when they were touring with the US Coast Guard Band. A little internet sleuthing revealed that it was Steffen Schorn’s “The Opener”. While there is a delightfully energetic performance by Schorn and his longtime collaborator Claudio Puntin on YouTube, there was not much other information about the piece. I got in touch with the composer (thanks to Bailey Paugh for helping with German translations!), but he said it was mostly improvised. So, what you will hear this morning is part-transcription and part-improvisation, generally keeping to the spirit of the YouTube recording. Performed at Joe Clark's Senior Recital on Saturday, November 14, 2015 in Kilbourn Hall.