The clarinet quartet is a formation that derives from the great clarinet ensemble created by Gustave Poncelet in the late 19th century.
This group can be formed by several clarinets, and the Navy Band's clarinet quartet is formed by three soprano clarinets and a bass clarinet.
This formation can easily perform various types of repertoires, from classical music to jazz, traditional, contemporary, popular, and light music, and also 'our' fado.
This versatility results from the fact that the clarinet is an instrument conducive to both technical virtuosity, as the clarinettist can play passages at great speed, and dynamic virtuosity, as the group can play passages ranging from a soft pianissimo to a powerful fortissimo.
In this case, the clarinet quartet can interpret works by Mozart, Shummann, Grieg, Bartok, P. Harvey, R. Strauss, Brahams, Debussy, Luis de Freitas Branco, Astor Piazzolla, and Amália Rodrigues.
Since it was formed, the Navy Band's clarinet quartet has always been ready to perform in concerts abroad, especially where the Navy Band cannot perform for spatial and logistical reasons.
In Portugal, the Navy Band's clarinet quartet has performed in several events such as dinners for high-ranking national and foreign officials, concerts at the Calouste Glubenkian Planetarium, the Navy Museum, and in the celebrations of the Navy Day, where it performed at the S. Catarina belvedere and the Navy Day Race, in Lisbon.
This group is always well received thanks to its sonic and personal joviality, as the unique timbre of these instruments always manages to conquer the listeners.
The Navy Band's clarinet quartet performs on stage as follows:
1st clarinet – 2nd clarinet – 3rd clarinet – bass clarinet.