Riou: 12 Short Travel Pieces

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Description

These short pieces are not transcriptions of traditional melodies *, but rather, pieces springing from the composer' s cultural imagination, enriched by the music from various world cultures he has listened to, and reinforced by his voyages and encounters.

They were conceived for the flute, to give less experienced flautists the opportunity to discover ways of playing music from various regions of the globe, and to use their instrument to confront different approaches regarding sound, rhythm or expression.

These pieces, written especially to be enjoyable, are intended for flautists in the 2nd to 5th year of conservatory training. The piano part requires a confirmed pianist with a solid sense of rhythm.

The difficulty increases progressively. While acquainting the two instrumentalists with musical changes of scenery, these pieces give a performer the chance to practice tone, phrasing, fingerings and various rhythmic formulas. The pianist should strive for independence between both hands (frequent writing in two voices).

Playing directions are sometimes only partially indicated, leaving each player with ample space for imagination. Pianists should consider the piano part as open space for discovery, and could try guessing which instruments were the source for what is written.

Problems are not always found where expected, and what seems easy to play alone sometimes becomes complicated when played together. Certain apparently simple pieces require considerable imagination and implication, particularly with regards to tone, phrasing, captivating rhythms and the atmosphere intended.

Jacques Riou

• Except for #9, which is adapted from Shuar indians (Jivaro group), incantations and ritual melodies that were recorded between 1991 and 1994 by Pierre Salivas, an ethnomusicologist and friend, during one of his stays in Ecuador at the Amazon forest village of Taruka.

Fingerings: Emmanuel Mercier