The inspiration for this piece is based on the painting La expulsión de los mercaderes del templo (The National Gallery in London, UK) by El Greco. EXEVALEN is a Greek word meaning ‘he drove out’ which I thought of as a word that describes the painting. The title suggests impetuous and dashing gestures that underline the direction of the music.

EXEVALEN, written for solo bass clarinet, explores sonic capabilities of the instrument as follows: tremolo with harmonic overtones, sweeping glissando throughout the upper partials of the instrument, and rapid succession of spectral multiphonics from low fundamentals. This work is the result of an ongoing collaboration with Sarah K Watts. She first performed the piece on July 28 during the ClarinetFest 2019 at the Auditorium, University of Tennessee. It lasts about 8 minutes and is scored for bass clarinet.

The piece is dedicated to Sarah K Watts.