This week, I’ve been listening to Hannah Kendall’s Vera (2008) for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello. Clarinet and strings is such a great combination (I may be biased!), and I love how Kendall uses the instruments in this piece, especially the pizzicato melodies in the strings and how it’s imitated later in the clarinet. Although the material is based on a 12-tone row, Kendall plays around with how she makes use of the row by sometimes excluding notes. She writes, “In the first instance, the ‘white notes’ (as on the piano) were removed from the series in order and the opening playful section is based on these notes only. These pitches, but in retrograde, also form the basis of the clarinet line when it first enters.” In addition to the interesting theory behind the work, it is an enjoyable piece to sit back and listen to!

Find out more about Hannah Kendall here