|
Music for Flute and Piano Op.22 was written in late 1997 and
was commissioned by flutist Elizabeth Ko. The work is a suite of four
movements, the last of which is an interpretation of a medieval virtuoso
dance.
The first movement, "Moderato",
is a slow fantasia. It introduces both instruments with sonorous gestures
and extended improvisatory like
passages.
The second movement, "Allegro ben ritmico", creates a great contrast
to the previous movement: Sparse and very regular at first, it grows into
a rapid and intense virtuoso duel between the two instruments. A middle
section brings a new, much calmer and restrained atmosphere. Eventually,
the movement returns in a gradual fashion back to the movementŐs original
character.
The third movement, "Winterhaze..." flirts
with impressionism, vague harmonies refer to tonality, the piece never
seems to get to a solid
harmonic center to which we can relate all else. I imagine a landscape
after a severe winter storm. The air is moist, there is glazed frost,
every now and then the sun peeks through strands of fog, and everything
is mostly shades of gray. A brief period of thaw makes water drip of
the
icicles. But winter is not over yet.
The fourth movement, "Principio di Virtu" is
inspired by medieval dance music. For most of the piece, the flute
plays in its upper register
imitating the sound of a recorder, while the piano takes on the role
of percussion. The flute part is mostly diatonic and is written in
mixed
modal style. The piano uses the lower register to imitate a resonant
bass-drum and, in the higher register, the rhythmically more pronounced
tenor drum.
Harmonically, the piano is as off as a bass drum would be, creating an
exciting harmonic friction. The true key of the modalities is supported
occasionally by simple open fifth harmonies that could have been played
by fiddles. The music requires great agility and stamina on the part
of
the flutist: To create a bit of rest for the flutist, the piano has a
brief solo after the third phrase (each phrase being 24 measures long).
In this solo, the piano takes us back to our times and gets rid of
the
ostinato bass. Then the dance rhythm returns, and the flute takes up
the tune again, working its way to a final climax.
|