Theme and Absurdities for Solo Clarinet in B-flat by Derek Bermel. PeerMusic, 2004, SS, 3 pages. Derek Bermel (1967-) is an American composer, clarinetist and conductor. This is a humorously virtuosic piece for solo clarinet, a spoof of all those lovable yet undeniably annoying theme and various pieces based on some aria. This is a particularly nightmarish tribute in which the variations, in eight-bar chunks, grow steadily in ridiculousness. This piece includes flutter tonguing, glissandos, large interval leaps and altissimo to high C. (C1930)