Joan Tower wrote Wings for Solo B-flat Clarinet (or Bass Clarinet) in 1983 for her friend and colleague Laura Flax, who premiered this work at her recital in Merkin Hall in New York. According to Tower’s notes: “The image behind the piece is one of a large bird—perhaps a falcon—at times flying very high gliding along the thermal currents, barely moving. At other moments, the bird goes into elaborate flight patterns that loop around, diving downwards, gaining tremendous speeds.”

Elliott Carter composed Gra for B-flat clarinet alone in 1993 for his dear friend, Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski, as a gift for his 80th birthday.