A basset clarinet and a block of polystyrene?

A basset clarinet and a block of polystyrene?

Our principal clarinettist Andrew Seymour is preparing for the Australian premiere of a concerto that uses a highly unusual array of instruments to evoke life in Africa.

Sally Beamish’s IZAKHI, co-commissioned by the TSO, was inspired by a trip the British composer made to South Africa in 2024.

Its four movements explore air, earth, water and fire, with the basset clarinet and the orchestra’s percussion section helping bring each element to life.

The concerto is written for basset clarinet, an instrument Seymour describes in simple terms as a clarinet with an extra-long extension, allowing a huge range of four octaves.

‘Sally has used all four octaves, you’ll hear the entire range of the basset clarinet in the piece. The other thing it does is change the colour of the instrument – it gives quite a unique colour I feel,’ Andrew says.

The instrument’s expanded range helps Andrew move through the composer’s changing landscapes, from the call of the weaverbird and wind over the savannah to drought and wildfire.

‘It’s very evocative and Sally has used percussion instruments that represent the different elements,’ Andrew explains.

There are bamboo chimes and the swanee whistle and at one stage even a block of polystyrene.

‘The block of polystyrene is played with a bow like a violin bow, which creates this really spooky sound,’ Andrew says.

‘The third movement – thirst – is my favourite. It focuses on a lack of water and it features a really interesting instrument called a waterphone.’

He says the ethereal waterphone, combined with an unusual clarinet technique in which two or more notes are played at the same time, creates an image of a mirage in the desert.

‘It’s a really beautiful movement,’ Andrew says.

IZAKHI by Sally Beamish was jointly commissioned by the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

Witness the Australian premiere at our concert Eivind conducts Shostakovich’s Tenth on 14 November.