The Third Essay was Samuel Barber’'s last completed work and its drama and lyricism are entirely characteristic of the neo-Romantic style he composed in for his entire life, a style which won him a large and faithful audience. In his avowed concern for writing music that communicates with the listening public, John Corigliano could be seen as an inheritor of Barber’'s mantle. The Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra is a large-scale work that demonstrates his eclectic style at its finest. Corigliano avails himself of traditional and avant-garde compositional techniques and exploits instrumental virtuosity and orchestral color to fashion a compelling dramatic statement.