Messager's Solo de Concours

b. André Charles Prosper Messager
(30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929)

André Messager looks like a douche and wrote music like a douche. His Solo de Concours was written specifically for clarinetists who wished to audition for some French symphonie or something of the sort. Thus, Solo de Concours was written with the intent of being hard as balls while encompassing all forms and styles of playing.

Solo de Concours is a short ~5 minute piece that is quite unlike anything I've attempted to learn/play before. Just listen to how fast it is, and you might think "oh man that's pretty fast." If you don't think it's all that fast, I just want you to know that all of those runs are in just about the worst key imaginable. At 1:14, the slow part comes in, which is nice, but take note how Messager decides to end it after all the arpeggiations in annoyingly retarded keys. At 2:41 is when that section ends not on a major chord, but ON A WEIRD OHGOD CREEPY kind of chord. At that point the cadenza begins which I can't even begin to begin to describe. The cadenza is ridiculous, having the highest note I've ever seen/played in my life on a clarinet. At 4:00 Messager brings back the theme from the beginning and then from 4:33 to the end goes absolutely batshit in this piece. It's sometimes the most fun part of the piece to play because it's just as ridiculous as Messager's mustache, but at times it's so insanely frustrating.

Before writing this, I had no idea what Messager looked like, but I have to say, I am not really surprised he looks like he does based off of this piece.


Performed by Narek Arutyunian, a 15 year old Armenian kid.