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Bloom

By thisisuser on February 18, 2011

for flute/alto flute, clarinet in Bb and piano
composed 2010/11; duration 14 minutes
world premiere february 28 2011
Interactive Soloist Series, New York University Steinhardt (USA)
composed for New York University Steinhardt
premiered by Esther Lamneck, Keith Underwood and Hsiang John Tu

The work opens with subdued playing in the ensemble’s middle register. These tender feelings are gradually transformed as the melodic contours take on wider skips, even though the tranquil mood persists. Short, step-wise phrases in the piano’s low register mark the onset of a new direction, and the woodwinds join reluctantly in, as rhythmic punctuations change the overall character to one of worry and foreboding. As the music continues to move forward, a dark underworld of hollow energies takes foreground, distinguished by the softer colors of the alto flute. A state of exhausted repose is reached. Slowly, the music gains in vitality, until bursts of raw energy and powerful playing leads to the work’s final stage.

An important feature of the compositional process was the use of the emoter-composer compositional tool. This tool is based on empirical research into emotion-related score and performance features since the 1930es, and significantly pervaded the creative stance towards the work. A framework for important score features that characterize commonly recognized emotions in music are provided by this tool. This secured that specific moods (and transitions between moods) could be observed. Not being a part of the compositional material, it nevertheless provided delimitations and suggestions for compositional-technical decisions, enhancing the musical focus of the work in combination with the established compositional procedures for material integrity.

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