clarinet quintet
My clarinet quintet Songs from the Bush was given a beautiful performance in Kangaroo Valley at the ‘Valley Dreaming’ concert on May 5. I must thank clarinettist David Rowden for his care and attention in getting to know what I was attempting to do with this piece, especially as it is far from being an extrovert virtuoso vehicle for the soloist. He was sensitively supported, framed, chorused by four esteemed and wonderful colleagues, every one of them an exceptional soloist in their own right. My sincere thanks to Natsuko Yoshimoto and her husband Imants Larsens (violins), Roger Benedict (viola) and my old friend David Pereira (cello) for making me very happy, as well as reassured. You never quite believe that your music is any good until someone comes along and seems to believe in it more than you do.
Congratulations, too, to Belinda Webster and the team for another remarkable festival unlike any other.
[audio https://ianmunro.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/clq.mp3]
Ian Munro 
Hi Ian,
Just heard on ABC that it’s your 50th today – felicitations. I also share a big one with you today, turning 60. You may not recall, but we met briefly during the International Chamber Music Competition a few years ago – 7-8 years ago??- when you were a judge on the panel. In my ignorance I introduced myself on the courtesy bus on the way to the competition, thinking you lot were fellow ticket winners in the ABC competition!! Oops!
Still, you were very friendly and charming to a builder from the backwoods who had such a memorable time over that weekend. Have been following your career ever since, and by the way, ignore that Clive O’Connell bloke – from the style of his reviews he is so far up himself he’s in danger of disappearing up his own fundament!
Dear Mr Munro,
I am a Belgian Professional clarinetist and I would like to include your clarinet quintet Songs from the bush to my repertory. Could you tell me how to buy the complete score and the separate parts of it ?
thank you very much for your answer.
Philippe Saucez
Dear Philippe,
In case you didn’t receive my email, the score and parts are available at the Australian Music Centre here:
http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/artist/munro-ian
With best wishes,
Ian
Hi Ian/Mr. Munro. My quintet is working on ‘Songs from the Bush’ (clarinetist Bruce Belton). We are looking forward to performing it in January in California. I am a cellist, and have what might seem like a silly question for you. I want to play the piece as you imagined it, so I want to get it right! In Country Dance, starting in the pizzicato section at bar 76, you have the pizz both accented and tied to the second note. What are you looking for here? Is the tie just an indication that you want emphasis on the first note in each bar, or are you indicating some sort of particular articulation on the pizz? We worked on your piece at a week-long chamber music workshop this summer. It occurs to me that it might be just the emphasis you want on the 4-bar phrases, with accents on bar 1 and 4 downbeats, but I don’t know. One coach suggested it might be that the pizz is on the first note, and then the finger is lifted and there is no separate pizz articulation on the second note (there were different options suggested by different coaches). Love the piece and want to get it right! Please explain. Thank you so much, Amy the cellist
Hi Amy, and thanks for your question. Very glad to hear that you’re performing ‘Songs from the Bush’ and enjoying it!
The pizzicato phrasing is intended to show slurs between the first plucked note and subsequent unplucked note. However, in practice, the second note can sound too soft for musical effect, so feel free to reiterate if necessary. I suppose I should make all this more explicit in the score, so thank you for the question.
All the best for the performance!
Ian