The movie The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg in 2004, tells the story of Viktor Navorski, a citizen of Krakozhia —a fictional Eastern European country— who becomes stranded at New York’s JFK airport. To convey the tenderness and bewilderment of the character, composer John Williams created one of his most endearing melodies: Viktor’s Tale, written for clarinet solo and symphony orchestra.

Henri Rabaud’s Solo de Concours for clarinet and piano, Op. 10, was composed in 1901 for clarinetist Charles Turban, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Like all pièces de concours (competition pieces), it was written to assess the technical and expressive mastery of students preparing for graduation. The work was selected for several editions of the Conservatoire’s annual competition (in 1908, 1915, 1925, and 1937), a testament to its popularity and pedagogical value.

One morning in September 2024, I received a WhatsApp message from the composer Esteban D'Antona saying: "Hi Gabriel, I've just finished composing a piece for solo clarinet and orchestra. It's a suite in four movements (Cha-cha-cha, Bolero, Guajira, and Salsa). I'm sending you the score and a digital recording for you to review. If you like it, I'd like you to premiere it with the orchestra."