More than being a concerto for clarinet and orchestra, this is specifically a concerto for Ashley Smith and orchestra. Ash and I have been friends and colleagues for over a decade and have worked on many projects together, including improvised concerts for clarinets and synthesisers.

James Ledger. Photo supplied

Ash is a fierce champion for the clarinet and relishes discovering new places to take it. When it came to this concerto, he encouraged me to write material that I thought was impossible for the instrument.

All up, we collaborated on the concerto for over six months. We both work at the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Western Australia, where his office is two doors down from mine. On multiple occasions, I could hear him practising one part while I worked on another, the sound of his clarinet wafting in through the window. The work reflects aspects of Ashley’s character and interests, which include opera and rock music. It pushes the instrument to the edge of its capabilities.

The orchestra – a large, centuries-old instrument, filled with many smaller, centuries-old instruments – has still not lost any of its potential for fresh and unusual sonic possibilities....