David Krakauer with Orchestra

Internationally acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer is available as a guest soloist with orchestras. His current repertoire includes two concertos written specifically for Krakauer: an exciting new work by rising young Polish composer Wlad Marhulets and a work by the esteemed Ofer Ben Amots. In addition, Krakauer will offer Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayer's of Isaac the Blind arranged for string orchestra, as well as orchestral arrangements of Krakauer's trademark compositions and traditional Klezmer tunes.

Wlad Marhulets' Concerto For Klezmer Clarinet and Orchestra
for klezmer clarinet and full symphony orchestra

David Krakauer has recently commissioned 23 year old Polish composer Wlad Marhulets to write a klezmer-inspired clarinet concerto. The result is a tour-de-force roller coaster ride which leaps effortlessly through klezmer and other genres. The piece was premiered by the Detroit Symphony in December 2009.

Krakauer writes: "Hearing Wlad's music for the first time was an astonishing and moving experience. In fact, it is rare indeed to run into someone so young whose original voice is already so clearly formed. I am also fascinated by his work relating to his own Polish/Jewish heritage through his musical projects. Because of this common artistic vision, I have asked him to write a klezmer inspired clarinet concerto for me. I am looking forward to a very rewarding artistic collaboration with this tremendously gifted young man. My prediction is that Wlad will become a major force in the musical world in the very near future."

Osvaldo Golijov's The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
for klezmer clarinet and string orchestra

Clarinetist David Krakauer, who recorded the seminal version of composer Osvaldo Golijov's 1994 work for string quartet and clarinet, The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac The Blind, with the Kronos Quartet, is proud to offer the string orchestra version of the work for the 2007-2008 season. "[The Dreams and Prayers...] was inspired by the medieval rabbi known as Isaac the Blind, a mystic who believed that all things happen as the result of combinations of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Golijov uses the building blocks of music to tease the same cosmic mysteries in a work that echoes the joy and sorrow, the passion and reason of the entire Jewish experience. Sometimes the music rocks with the sound of klezmer, sometimes it merely, hypnotically seems to breathe. The Kronos Quartet's riveting recording with clarinetist David Krakauer makes it an unforgettable experience." -Gramophone

Ofer Ben Amots' The Klezmer Concerto
for klezmer clarinet, string orchestra, harp and percussion

Ofer Ben Amots writes: "The source of inspiration to this concerto is the unique musical language of clarinetist David Krakauer. Over the last four years I have collaborated with David on several performance and recording projects. It is, however, the first time that I wrote a composition entirely dedicated to him and with the intention to prominently feature his playing. In October 2004, I visited David in New York City and we went over some early sketches. The few hours we spent together seemed to me more like a wizardry session than a musical rehearsal. David demonstrated amazing sounds, passages, and techniques; something I had never heard before and never imagined possible. Some of these inspiring sounds found their way into the composition and they echo frequently throughout the solo clarinet part."

Klezmer Arrangements
by David Krakauer, Jean-Philippe Calvin, and David Cutler
for klezmer clarinet and orchestra

Traditional klezmer tunes and original compositions by David Krakauer arranged for both string orchestra and mixed instrumentation.

Additional Repertoire
for clarinet and orchestra

• Debussy - Rhapsodie
• Mozart - Concerto K. 622
• John Adams - Gnarly Buttons
• Paul Moravec - Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra
• Aaron Copland - Clarinet Concerto
• Robert Starer - Kli Zemer*
• Ofer Ben Amots - Celestial Dialogues*
• Abraham Ellstein - Hassidic Dance*
• Jacob Weinberg - Canzonetta, The Maypole*

*Recorded for the Milken Archive of Jewish Music (Naxos)