Instrumentation: Flute quartet
Duration: 10′
Commissioned by the Austin Flute Project
A floral sea; a cloudless night was adapted from music originally composed for my upcoming hypertext opera, Not Quite a Sunset. Through a combination of guided improvisation and fully composed sections, the four flutists create textures that evoke the dreamworld experienced by the protagonist of the opera.
“The wind picks up around me, rousing me from sleep, and I open my eyes, but I do not move, only breathe. I am lying on my side in a field of long grass, the brushlike ends of which nudge me softly in rhythm with the moving air, encouraging me to get up. Something - the floral scent in the air, the chattering of insects around me seems familiar about this place, though I am not entirely sure where I am.
“I begin to sit up slowly, first propping myself up on my elbows, taking in my surroundings. The tall grass spreads out in an endless sea around me, shaded black and grey by the darkness, occasionally glinting silver as it sways.”
-excerpt from Not Quite a Sunset
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
April 5, 2018 – Tampa, FL
USF Flute Quartet on the USF New Music Festival
August 13, 2016 – San Diego, CA
Austin Flute Project on the 2016 NFA Convention
July 28, 2016 – Austin, TX
Austin Flute Project