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Sonata (1982 - 84) Duration: 12' 30" Instrumentation: flute, piano Alternate Versions: Availability: published by Falls House Press www.fallshousepress.com Recordings: no commercial recording (archival recording available for audition) Program Notes: The Sonata was written between June 1982 and February 1984. The piece uses the classic fast-slow-fast structure for its three seperate movements. The first movement makes extensive use of quarter-tone pitches and harmonics in the flute part, making it sometimes sound out-of-tune with the piano. The second movement is one of the earliest examples where this composer started to become concerned with spacing of musical events. Notice the pacing and occasional long gaps between events in this movement. The composer had, as a flutist, worked on or performed many of the great 20th century compositions for flute and piano (i.e., Piston, Prokofiev, Poulenc, Hindemith) and trios showcasing the flute (i.e., Debussy, Rorem) prior to the conception of this piece. No doubt the influence of these masterworks is reflected here, perhaps especially in the third movement. All pitch material in this movement is derivative of the opening arpeggiated gesture of the piano. First Performance: Full premiere at The Art and Culture Center in Hollywood, Florida (May 1987) with Kirk Evan-Billet (flute) and Mary Kauffman (piano). Other Performances: West Coast premiere on a "Sounds New" Concert, Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley in Kensington, CA (March 12, 2006) with Deborah Schmidt (flute) and Herb Bielawa (piano). "New Directions" Concert with The Tampa Bay Composers Forum in St. Petersburg, FL (Jan 1999) with Patricia Dominowski (flute) and Peter Blauvelt (piano). Loyola University in New Orleans, LA (March 1987); partial performance. University of Georgia in Athens, GA (April 1985); partial performance. University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL (Nov 1983); partial performance. |