The present study forms part of the master's research project for the clarinet speciality at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and focuses on the presentation of an interpretative proposal for the clarinet piece ‘Dialogue de L'Ombre Double’ by Pierre Boulez.
This piece is one of the pieces that I will perform in my final master's recital, which has been the main motivation for studying it in depth, since by getting to know the piece better I will be able to get the most out of its interpretation. What's also important is that this piece is based on the idea that we need to do more research. This makes the knowledge we have about the score better, for example by learning about the context of the piece, the composer's life, and his musical and stylistic intentions. It also makes us aware of the use of motifs and many other elements that enrich the experience of interpretation. Only then do we focus on the technical complexity required by the score. This piece will help me develop better performance criteria to share with others.. Based on these ideas, I will specify the problem that guides this piece: to construct an interpretative approach for Pierre Boulez's ‘Dialogue de l'ombre double’. To respond to this problem it has been necessary to formulate the following objectives: to contextualise the life and work of the composer, to describe the piece as a whole musically in brief, to elaborate an interpretative proposal based on what is already known and to help resolve technical problems by means of a series of resources. These objectives guide the order I follow in this piece, each of them corresponding to a chapter of it. In this way, I divide the research into 4 chapters. Within these chapters, different issues will be addressed that will help me to move closer to my objectives. The first chapter will contextualise Boulez and the piece Dialogue de l'ombre double and his contribution to contemporary music. In the second chapter, I will briefly describe and analyse Dialogue de l'ombre double and the elements that contribute to the construction of a sound narrative. In the third chapter, I will construct an interpretive approach to each of the pieces separately. And finally, I will facilitate the performer's execution of different technically difficult points by creating a guide with solutions for them, such as different technical exercises and fingering options, as well as strategies to cover the most complicated technical passages.
The information relating to the musical and cultural context of the piece is the result of research using books and bibliographic articles and conversations with clarinet teachers.
I would like to acknowledge the invaluable help of my clarinet teacher, Annelien Van Wauwe, who has supported me with her helpful advice from day one. And my research supervisor, Anna Scott, for her patience throughout the process.