Confessio for solo bass clarinet was commissioned by the Leipzig Gewandhaus and premiered in January, 2020, by their principal bass clarinettist, Volker Hemken. In a single movement of about 10 minutes, it examines a momentous entrance point of Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. In the castle’s chapel, he holds a monologue - less prayer, more confessional reflection. Claudius reveals to himself the deep fear he has of the consequences of his murderous actions - and a vague, if scarcely justifiable hope for forgiveness. In music that explores the full extent of the instrument’s capabilities in terms of tessitura, dynamics and virtuosity, the telling, flexible baritone of the bass clarinet struck me as the instrument of choice to realise these emotional depths in this operatic "scena" without words.
