The "Daily Exercise" series embraces the concept of character pieces, a hallmark of the Romantic era, which saw the creation of expressive and distinctive short compositions for piano, like Chopin's "Nocturnes," Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood," and Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words." These pieces were celebrated for their ability to convey deep emotions and narrative within a compact musical form.
"Daily Exercise for Clarinet" extends this tradition to the realm of wind instruments and piano, diverging from the virtuosic and musically rich repertoire typical of solo contests. Instead, it focuses on shorter pieces that combine memorable harmonies and melodies, designed to be the kind of music that players turn to spontaneously, capturing the essence of character pieces: expressive, accessible, and deeply satisfying to perform.
These compositions aim to serve as ideal encore pieces, offering performers a gentle yet uplifting way to reconnect with their audience after a program of challenging and famous works, eliciting warm applause once more.
"Daily Exercise for Clarinet" is intended to enrich the clarinet repertoire with pieces that are enjoyable to play and explore, highlighting the clarinet's unique capabilities for expressive nuance and tonal variety. The series offers clarinetists the opportunity to showcase the expressive potential of their instrument in a variety of musical settings, balancing technical skill with musicality.
(Daiya Hamaguchi)

(Tsutomu Tajima)