Life and Music of Daniel Nelson with a Performer’s Guide to the Clarinet Concerto

Composer Daniel Nelson (b. 1965) is a unique figure in the world of contemporary music. A dual citizen of the United States and Sweden, he received musical training in both countries and has had his music performed world-wide. Nelson's music is colorful, often rhythmic, neoclassical in formal construction, harmonically accessible, and includes influences ranging from Mozart to Depeche Mode. Critics have extolled his music as "exuberant" with "magnificently mobile orchestration." Daniel Nelson's Clarinet Concerto (2000) may be regarded as his professional breakthrough. The work was a success in Sweden and performed several times throughout Europe and in the United States. Clarinetist Niklas Andersson premiered and recorded the work in 2000 with the Västerås Sinfonietta. However, the work is still relatively unknown despite its superlative quality, accessibility, and promotion of the clarinet as a versatile instrument technically, stylistically, and emotively. This treatise provides information on all of the works in Nelson's catalogue as well as new pieces currently in production. In order to promote the Clarinet Concerto and further aid it in securing a deserved position in the standard repertoire, this treatise includes a performer's guide. The guide not only provides detailed advice for clarinetists tackling the concerto, but also for collaborative pianists or orchestra conductors.