Clarinet Concerto No.2

The score to Malcolm Arnold’s Clarinet Concerto No.2.

Arnold’s Clarinet Concerto No.2 was written as a gesture of friendship for Benny Goodman in 1974. The 18-minute piece, cast in three movements, reflects the impression made by Goodman on Arnold’s musical life and jazz more broadly on his compositions. Their friendship is reflected in the finale, titled ‘The Pre-Goodman Rag’, and the improvised first-movement cadenza ( as jazzy and way-out as you please , Arnold says). The slow movement has an angular, uneasy quality. The concerto is presented here in full score.

…infused with the spirit of swing, but also plenty of gritty energy…

International Record Review (Nigel Simeone), November 2012