s'Zwitscherl - Clarinet Duet with Piano

Franz Peter Cibulka (1946-2016) completed his musical studies in clarinet, composition and conducting at the University of Music in Graz, Austria. He served as Professor of Clarinet, Chamber Music and Music Theory at the Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory in Graz until 2002 when he began working exclusively as a free-lance composer. His list of works includes more than 600 compositions of the most diverse instrumentation and styles resulting from his artistic collaboration with various performers.

"s’Zwitscherl für Zwei" is a virtuosic character piece in rondo form. The title in Austrian dialect means "little songbird". According to Cibulka, the music depicts the expressions of a colorful bird going through various mood swings. In some instances, the bird is happy, while in others it is thoughtful or sad and tries to escape reality.

Franz Cibulka had written a first version of "s'Zwitscherl", scored for one clarinet and piano, for his former clarinet teacher, Willi Kremser. In 2015, Franz Cibulka re-arranged the piece for two clarinets and piano for Rolf Weber, Barbara Heilmair, and Kazue Tsuzuki, on the occasion of their collaboration at the Portland State Clarinet Symposium.

The current edition, for two clarinets and piano, is a revised and edited version, based on a score that Cibulka had sent to Barbara Heilmair. The intention is to provide a publication of the piece, making it accessible to the international clarinet community by providing translated musical markings, and removing small errors and inconsistencies

Duration approximately 5.5 minutes. The music has been recorded on the Centaur label, CRC3837, by Rolf Weber, Barbara Heilmair, and Kazue Tsuzuki.