the sadness of detail

Chris DENCH
Born 1953, London, England

the sadness of detail (2002)

clarinet solo
Commissioned by Michael NORSWORTHY

"It is as if He has a kind of progressive amnesia. The only way we can get Him to remember is to show Him pictures of Himself. Or play certain music, read passages from books  . . .  Only then does He remember.  . . .  You see, the saddest thing of all is even He has begun to forget the details  . . . "
--Jonathan CARROLL from the Sadness of Detail in the Panic Hand

Several years ago, the American clarinettist Michael NORSWORTHY requested a new solo piece from me, to complement my existing solo clarinet piece, ruins within, also based on a quote from Jonathan CARROLL. I hesitated to write the new piece, however, as my musical language was in flux. Only in 2002 did I feel ready to tackle Michael's work, and I decided to make the piece formally unlike anything I had ever previously attempted?in brief, a labyrinth. The result was the sadness of detail, a work that exists in two different forms, a folded, and an unfolded version.

Programme note © Chris DENCH