Theofanidis: The Universe in Ecstatic Motion
Expected to ship in about a week.
- Composer: Christopher Theofanidis (1967-)
- Instrumentation: Flute, Orchestra
- Work: The World in Ecstatic Motion (2022)
- Binding: Spiral Bound
- Size: 8.5 x 14.0 inches
Description
I was very happy to be able to write a flute concerto for my friend of almost twenty years, Marina Piccinini, who is, without exaggeration, one of the greatest musicians and flutists in the world.
The first movement of my piece starts with a cadenza which is sung out freely to the audience, full of spaces and melodic material that become the building block of the first movement. The feeling here is that the flutist is singing out into nature and listening.
The first movement starts immediately after the cadenza, and this opening cadenza material is played in a more contained and sculpted way over a stately contrabass line, both ideas becoming more expansive, building in the solo and orchestral parts. The soloist's technical demands come in the form of very fast double tonguing and virtuosic octave overblowing, especially toward the end of the movement.
This first movement is then followed by another cadenza, in which half-way through, the soloist is joined by the concertmaster playing pizzicato in a playful duet.
The second movement begins with a hushed string chorale, which comes back in many guises throughout the movement, and alternates with faster imitative melodic fragments and a longer lined melody.
The final movement, a true presto, alternates bright melodic playing with a faster dance rhythm, eventually combining the two together for a joyous conclusion.
—Christopher Theofanidis, 2022
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