The Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet with Chimes Ad Libitum was commissioned by Australian clarinetist Robert Schubert for inclusion on a compact disc project. I began the work on February 3, 2014 and completed it a month later on March 4th. The work is written in four movements, the third of which has an extended duet for clarinet and chimes. Given the nationality of the commissioner, and my fond memories of a trip that my wife and I took to Australia in 2009, he attempted to bring Australian elements into the work. In the first movement, the sounds of the Aboriginal instrument, the digeridoo, are evoked in the clarinet and cello. The second movement, containing many leaps in the clarinet, is meant to suggest the leaping characteristic of Australia's most distinctive animal, the kangaroo. The mysterious atmosphere of the third movement suggests the silent wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, another place visited by my wife and me, and the final movement is suggestive of the gregarious nature of the Australians we met on their trip, remembering particularly a gathering that included steaks on the "barbie."
