The arrangement for clarinet in Bb with piano accompaniment uses the first theme from the third movement of Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 in D. the movement is commonly referred to as “Notturno” meaning night piece. It is a very melodic movement and like much of Borodin’s music is very adaptable to being played by a number of different instrument combinations. There are 4 sections in the arrangement – theme, repeat of the theme with a varied and fuller accompaniment, the theme played in canon and a closing section which can best be be described as a coda. A tempo of 70 quarter note beats to the minute is used in the realisation and there are some octave transposition in the parts whilst the appoggiaturas that appear in the string quartet score have been omitted. Wherever possible material from the original work, which dates from 1881, has been incorporated into the arrangement. An individual clarinet in Bb part appropriately transposed is appended to the full score
