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Gabriel Kahane’s Clarinet Concerto Premieres in Europe

8/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

Gabriel Kahane’s clarinet concerto, written for NY Philharmonic clarinetist Anthony McGill, premiered in Europe under conductor Ryan Bancroft.
It opened with McGill over tuned percussion and string glissandi before a jazz-meets-klezmer section.
The slow movement used lyrical lines and an eerie bowed vibraphone.
Kahane sang and played piano for McGill’s encore.
Reviewers said the program, also featuring Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Copland’s Billy the Kid, had uneven openings and slackness.

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Story summary

Gabriel Kahane’s clarinet concerto, written for NY Philharmonic clarinetist Anthony McGill, premiered in Europe under conductor Ryan Bancroft.
It opened with McGill over tuned percussion and string glissandi before a jazz-meets-klezmer section.
The slow movement used lyrical lines and an eerie bowed vibraphone.
Kahane sang and played piano for McGill’s encore.
Reviewers said the program, also featuring Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Copland’s Billy the Kid, had uneven openings and slackness.