BREATHLESS

Breathless for two clarinets and bassoon was commissioned by clarinetist Bohdan Hilash and premiered by his trio on a concert tour of the U.S. in 1994. The title comes from a phone call from Hilash to Rosenhaus one Thursday afternoon, in which Hilash asked for a piece to be written for his upcoming tour in five days. Accepting the challenge, Rosenhaus wrote this single-movement, three-minute piece. It's fast-paced and fun, with frequent time signature changes and the use of each instrument's full range. The work does not require any extended techniques, nor does it present breathing challenges; it only seems that way.