Cygnus Arioso Spotlight Series

A Closer Look. A Deeper Listen.

Clarinet Visions

In this edition of our Spotlight Series, the clarinet takes centre stage - its voice by turns ecstatic, earthy, and luminous. We begin with Canticles, a new work by Lachlan Skipworth, written for clarinet, piano, violin and cello. With clarity and restraint, its three movements offer a meditation on sound and form, with the clarinet a constant presence. From there, we turn to one of the most extraordinary works in the chamber repertoire: Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, composed in a prisoner-of-war camp and filled with visions of eternity, colour and transcendence. Together, the two works offer a powerful frame for listening — grounded in breath, and lifted toward the ineffable.

Program

Lachlan Skipworth (b. 1982)
Canticles for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano
i. in Air
ii. in Light
iii. in Fire

— Interval — (20 minutes)

Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992)
Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time)
I. Liturgie de cristal
II. Vocalise, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps
III. Abîme des oiseaux
IV. Intermède
V. Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus
VI. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes
VII. Fouillis d’arcs-en-ciel, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps
VIII. Louange à l’Immortalité de Jésus

Members

Som Howie - Clarinet

Akiko Miyazawa - Violin

Jeremy Garside - Cello

Liam Wooding - Piano