Celebration and Remembrance
for flute choir
Duration: 6'
1978
Instrumentation: (at least) 3 piccolos, 4 C flutes, 2 alto flutes, bass flute
"Celebration and Remembrance" was commissioned by Sue Ann Kahn and the Bennington Summers Flute Worshop, 1978, and premiered at the farewell concert at the close of the workshop. Beginning with the opening sounds of a flutist warming-up, it recalls numerous moments from the workshop and, by extension, from the life of the flute and flutist. Themes from the flute literature appear in kaleidoscopic textures at a dizzying pace, as if emerging from a dream, or perhaps from a hall full of practice rooms. The piece concludes with a nostalgic goodbye song in the bass flute, in the style of a folk melody, representing the purity of tone and intention that is at the heart of the flute sound. The ultimate chords, composed of the basic harmonics of the flute, bring us back to nature and the "first principles" that made it all possible.
Score and parts available from Terra Non Firma Press.