Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra, L. 116

Marked “Rêveusement lent” (dreamily slow), it opens with a soft, languid clarinet theme over gentle piano momentum that gradually becomes livelier (Introduction, then A). A sudden faster tempo brings a more capricious idea, halted by trills and a return to earlier material. Quick music returns with rumbling low piano notes and rising clarinet flourishes, and a new section (B) begins. The slow music comes back (A′), and the coda leads to a thrilling finish.

1. 0:08Introduction
2. A