Hi Bill (2005)
for bass clarinet solo
Duration: 3 min.
Volker Hemken
WP: 23 October 2007, Berlin, BKATheo Nabicht
Performance material available from Boosey & Hawkes
CD Bassclarinet Volker Hemken
darauf ‚Hi Bill’
Profil/Edition Günter Hänssler, PH06018, SACD PHo6o6o18 - IC 13287
CD 29,4 Annäherung, Theo Nabicht
darauf ‚Hi Bill’
Edition zeitklang 2014, discogs
Composer's note:
Hi Bill is a small homage to the 80s and the countless hours spent in dingy, smoky clubs and practice cellars...
(I.t.Sch.)
Reviews
Giessener Anzeiger from 30.6.2025, Sascha Jouini
An original balancing act between genres
...The concert was made really interesting by a surprise piece: "Hi Bill!" for bass clarinet solo (2005) is, according to composer Iris ter Schiphorst, "a small homage to countless hours spent in smoky clubs and practice cellars". The modern piece was correspondingly varied in sound and playing technique. Viviana Rieke's virtuosity extended all the way to noisy elements.
The Orchestra, 11/2006, page 99
As the title Bass Clarinet suggests, the low woodwind instrument is at the centre of the musical action here. Volker Hemken, who has been principal bass clarinettist of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra since 1992, introduces his instrument with a series of contemporary works that are as appealing as they are demanding.
Iris ter Schiphorst's Hi Bill! is "a small homage to countless hours spent in smoky clubs and practice cellars". The rhythmic-melodic force field is enriched here with screams, singing, hissing and key noises that evoke very jazzy impressions. One is often reminded of the improvisations of Eric Dolphy.