The Clarinet Concerto Op.80 by Charles Villiers Stanford is arguably the only major romantic concerto for the instrument. While the first performance was given by Charles Draper at a Philharmonic Society concert at the Queen’s Hall London in 1904 with Stanford conducting, the concerto remained unpublished until 1977. It was the great clarinet historian Pamela Weston, author of several books including Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past, who prepared the score and parts for publication.

Stanford’s Three Intermezzi Op.13 (c.1880) and Sonata Op.129 (1918) have been very much embraced as central pillars of the clarinet’s late romantic repertoire. This is in sharp contrast to Stanford’s concerto which has remained in relative obscurity.

This glorious concerto deserves to performed in concerts and enjoyed by audiences throughout the world. For this reason I commissioned this version for concert band, sensitively transcribed for concert band by Stephen Roberts who has ensured that the integrity of this new version loses nothing of its original orchestral setting.

While there are three distinct movements: Allegro moderato, Andante con moto, ma più,  tranquillo, Allegro moderato, all three movements are segue

I gave the performance in 2018 at London’s Regent Hall with the RAF Central Band conducted by Thomas Rodda and was streamed live on Facebook. The recording and film of this premiere performance is available on Samek Music YouTube 

Scoring:  Solo Clarinet in Bb
Piccolo | Flutes 1 & 2 | Oboes 1 & 2 |Bassoons 1 & 2
Clarinets in Bb 1, 2 & 3 | Bass Clarinet in Bb (low C) |Alto Saxophones 1 & 2 |Tenor Saxophone | Baritone Saxophone | Trumpets 1, 2 & 3 | Horns 1, 2, 3 & 4 | Trombones 1, 2 & 3 | Euphonium | Tuba | Contrabass | Timpani

Standard: moderate to advanced
Length: 18 minutes

CSCP031