Richard Vella    composer

​

​

Date: 1990

Duration: 2:24 minutes

 

Tango was originally written for the production Tales of Love premiered by Calculated Risks Opera Productions in 1990 at the Cleveland Street Performance Space, Sydney. The work explores many contemporary techniques for the clarinet such as multiphonics, quarter tones, extreme use of registers, pitch bends and glissandi. Originally performed by clarinettist Peter Jenkin, it has been recorded by Peter Jenkin and Daniel Herscovitch for Peter Jenkin’s solo album A day in the life of a clarinet on the Tall Poppies label (TPO86). The Tango has been arranged for many contexts including a trio version (clarinet, cello or viola, and piano) as part of the Tales of Love suite.