One of prominent figures ofthe 20th century musical avand-garde is german composer Kalheinz Stockhausen. Over time, Stockhausen introduced to his works elements of rituals, dance, drama and multimedia acts. He wrote many musical works for clarinet, bassethorn and bass clarinet.Stockhausen dedicated Harlekin to talented clarinetist Suzanne Stephens. Some of the pieces call for an unusual treatment of the performer, for example in Harlekin for clarinet solo (1975). The name of the piece referes to Italian dell’arte comedy and its most characteristic figure – Harlequin. Harlekin is a one-movement piece, lasting more than 45 minutes. Harlekin requires from the clarinetist not only proper preparation of the musical aspects, but also laborious preparations in the field of dance, scenic movement, pantomime and costume design for the performer.7 movements are played attaca and shows 7 various personalities of Harlequin.
Der Traumbote [The Dream Messenger]Der spielerische Konstrukteur [The Playful Constructor]Der verliebte Lyriker [The Enamoured Lyric]Der pedantische Lehrer [The Pedantic Teacher]Der spitzbübische Joker [The Roguish Joker]Der leidenschaftliche Tänzer [The Passionate Dancer]Der exaltierte Kreiselgeist [The Exalted Spinning Spirit]
Barbara Borowicz worked on Harlekin with clarinetists Suzanne Stephens and Rumi Sota-Klemm (the first student of S. Stephens) and with an actress specializing in the commedy dell’arte Agnieszka Cianciara-Fröhlich.
Look ath this short video
REVIEW
Barbara Borowicz not only mastered the Harlequin which is filled to the brim with breakneck figures. First and foremost she managed to achieve an organic unity of sound and gesture with its difficult choreography. This, Harlequin’s dance, was natural, graceful, coquettish and passionate.
Monika Pasiecznik ODRA No. 6 (June, 2017)
Excellent musicianship, as well as acting skills, were presented by Barbara Borowicz in Harlekin by Karlheinz Stockhausen. The artist, dressed in a Harlequin costume, moved around on the stage, only accompanied by a small spotlight, and the sound of the clarinet, repeated formulas and ritual phrases of Stockhausen’s music mesmerized. Although the performance somewhat emphasized the humorous aspects of the work, this Harlequin did not turn into a clown for even a moment. Every movement of the artist was soft, and her mime-skills were convincingly natural.
Krzysztof Stefański RUCH MUZYCZNY No. 5 (May, 2017)
Harlekin by Karlheinz Stockhausen is a 45-minute piece for a dancing clarinetist, which we could hear on the penultimate day of the festival. […] The performer, Barbara Borowicz, turned out to be a perfectionist in every sense of the word, giving the audience a show of excellent acting in the style of the commedia dell’arte and ballet, without losing anything of her beautiful sound.
