An Adaptation of the Viola Sonatas of Julius Röntgen for Clarinet and Piano

The purpose of this project is to add to the repertoire of clarinet music written in the Romantic style. While there are some pieces written by composers such as Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Max Reger, and a few others, it pales in comparison to the amount of highly regarded clarinet music written in the twentieth century. For this project, the three viola sonatas of Julius Röntgen have been adapted for clarinet and piano. Though these pieces were composed in 1924 and 1925 at the height of the expressionist movement, they are written in the late-Romantic style, with chromaticism and rhythmic intricacies akin to the clarinet sonatas of Johannes Brahms, with whom Röntgen had a friendship. I believe that these pieces can serve as an alternative to the often-performed sonatas of Brahms, especially for students. They are similar in technical demands and they are not just sonatas, but true pieces of chamber music, with the piano as an equal partner to the clarinet. The project includes full scores of the adaptations of Röntgen's sonatas in C minor, A-flat Major, and A minor for viola and piano, as well as a comprehensive list of all adaptations made to the original sonatas, and a studio recording of all three adapted works.