My composition Days was first written for bass clarinet and bassoon and was premiered in Boston in 1998 by Diane Heffner and Janet Underhill. The performance today is the world premiere of a version for two bass clarinets. In 1998 I wrote about the piece:

“In my composition for bass clarinet and bassoon entitled Days, I have compiled ten short musical thoughts. Each one differently reflects the passage of time as they are played; by either creating dramatically gestural shapes, developing brief abstract processes, or by variably mixing the degree of these compositional approaches.”

I am particularly thrilled about the inclusion of Days on a concert celebrating Yehudi Wyner's 80th birthday. I first met maestro Wyner at Tanglewood in 1988 and was happy to reconnect with him when I lived in Boston while completing my Ph.D. at Harvard during the 1990s. As a composer I have the highest respect and love for Yehudi's work, and as a younger colleague, I have always been very proud to feel that he appreciated what I am trying to accomplish in my compositions as well. Dear Yehudi: Happy 80th Birthday - and many more to come!

(Stefan Hakenberg, 2009)