Premiere Rhapsodie for Solo Clarinet and Band

Gabriel Faure, then director of the Conservatoire de Paris, named Claude Debussy (1862-1918) to the Conservatoire's board of directors in 1909, and promptly commissioned two works from Debussy for the 1910 clarinet examinations. For the sight-reading portion of the exam, he offered the charming Petite Piece. But for the core part of the exam, he composed Premiere Rhapsodie, L. 116, CD. 124, a work that demands great technical skill and musicality from the soloist. The work was dedicated to the professor of clarinet at the Paris Conseratory from 1904-1918, Prospere Mimart, and it was Mimart who premiered the work on January 16, 1911, with M.G. Krieger at the piano. Quickly recognized as a masterpiece, performances with the piano accompaniment quickly began to appear on programs. Debussy was so pleased with the reception that he orchestrated the piano part in 1911, and the work has remained a staple of the repertoire for clarinet and orchestra since. This transcription for solo clarinet and band has been completed by Donald Miller.