Like many of the short, vivacious works Elliott Carter has written since 1980, Gra, for solo clarinet, is a ceremonial work; it was written to celebrate the 80th birthday of another giant of twentieth-century music—Witold Lutoslawski. The word "gra" means "game" in Lutoslawski's native language of Polish, and this work is nothing if not playful. Carter gives the work the character indication "Ghiribizzo," meaning "whimsical," and the music itself explores many of the possibilities for jesting that the solo clarinet provides. The melodic line scampers up and down at a whim, comically juxtaposing the piercing, nasal tone of the clarinet's high register and the mellow tone of its lower register. Quick, harsh shifts from soft to loud are also exploited for comic effect. At one point, Carter sustains one note for six consecutive bars, but varies the tone color and vibrato in a manner reminiscent of the seventh etude of Carter's Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for woodwind quartet. The work eventually comes to a smiling conclusion as it tails off into silence; the music seems to walk away and carry the party with it. Carter's sense of humor and high spirits make this a work suitable for celebrating anyone's birthday.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.