The organ and the clarinet is a musical combination rare to any music lover's ears, but BYU will host a special night of clarinet and organ tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the HFAC.

The guest quartet will include University of North Texas professors John Scott on the clarinet, Jesse Eschbach on the organ and Steven Harlos on the piano. The concert will also feature BYU jazz faculty member Ray Smith on the clarinet.

"It will be an unusual combo of clarinet and organ," said Jaren Hinckley, BYU professor of clarinet. "It is out of the ordinary; [something like this] doesn't usually happen."

The first few selections will be a set of fantasy pieces written by Robert Schumann and performed by Scott on the clarinet.

Next is "Benniana: Jazz Sonata for the Clarinet and Piano" and will be played with Harlos on the piano and featuring Smith on the clarinet.

"It is a very nice piece," Smith said. "It is in the style of Benny Goodman and so it's very classical and jazzy."

The main focus of the concert will be a suite written by Harlos specifically for the organ and the clarinet. The suite is written in a French style with five short movements.

Harlos was asked to compose this piece by Scott because the repertoire for the organ and clarinet is very limited. The musicians feel that is the most important factor of this concert.

"It is the first piece I've played with that combo," Scott said.

"The most important feature of this piece is the harmony," said Jesse Eschbach, University of North Texas organ professor. "Harlos has borrowed from early 20th century practices in France. There are shimmering effects and very specific colors that are used out of the organ."

Harlos began writing the piece in stages about a year ago and this will be the first time the entire completed piece will be performed.

Smith and Scott were students at Indiana studying clarinet together and this will be the first time they have seen each other since their college days.

"They are an elite faculty," Smith said. "We are glad to have them here."

All of the performers are good musicians and come from strong backgrounds in their musical training.

"Just enjoy it and have a good time," Scott said. "It is a very colorful program and jazz influenced."

The recital will be performed in the Madsen Recital Hall of the HFAC; admission will be free.

There will also be a violin and piano recital by Eri and Vincent Lam Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall of the HFAC. Admission for this event is also free.

Copyright Brigham Young University 14 Sep 2006