Concerto for Flute--Mvts III & IV

Eric Ewazen (b. 1954)

III. Adagio
IV. Allegro molto

American composer Eric Ewazen is on the faculty at Juilliard and is particularly well-known in the band and brass world, with his pieces receiving almost continual performance. This work was written in 1988 for the revered US flutist Julius Baker and, though it is every bit as captivating as Ewazen's other compositions, has unfortunately never entered the mainstream flute repertoire. Originally for flute and chamber orchestra, the present version for flute and piano was transcribed by Ewazen himself.
The entire concerto relies heavily on folk influences such as drones, an emphasis on perfect intervals, diatonic melodies, frequent shifts between pulses of two and three, and rhythmic figures like Scotch snaps (short-long) that are common in folk tunes. In the first movement, the flute's lines almost all soar freely upwards, while the piano provides metrical grounding through driving eighth notes. The second movement is a lively dance in a rondo-like form with a simple yet catchy main melody. While the first two movements have a loose form created mainly by repetition of one, memorable melody, the third movement is almost entirely through-composed. The flute line shows some influence from blues and is structured more rhetorically than melodically; the piano provides an almost minimalist backdrop while occasionally joining the flute in duet. The final movement's character is unabashedly exuberant, with the flute playing rapid, swirling gestures above the piano's strongly rhythmic lines.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• flute
• Ewazen