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Mediterranean Winds for Alto Flute and Piano

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  • Staff Pick

Staff Pick

“Easy-listening for alto flute!”

Chris Hankin Just Flutes staff member - [email protected]

These short pieces are a great way to start off your alto flute playing journey. Each one has completely a different character, ranging from the jazzy Ghibli to the beautiful melody of Garbino and the rhythmic energy of Maestrale. Each one would stand alone which is even better and the easy listening style of the writing is most appealing!

Pan - Journal of the British Flute Society

Pan - Journal of the British Flute Society

This review first appeared in Pan, the journal of the British Flute Society and is reproduced with permission. Join the BFS: membership starts from £25 a year.

Each of the five movements in this work for alto flute and piano is given the Italian name for one of the winds that blow around the Mediterranean—Ghibli, Garbino, Zefiro, Tramontana and Maestrale. The movements can be performed together, forming a suite of around 15 minutes duration, or played individually.

Warren’s compositional style is heavily influenced by jazz, using modal harmonies and extended chords to good effect. As a flute player himself, his understanding of the alto flute comes through well, with each of the pieces providing a different character while balancing well with the practical considerations of the instrument.

My favourite of the five pieces is perhaps the last one, Maestrale, which is a fast, upbeat movement with driving rhythms. The first, Ghibli, also has a strong rhythmic energy, with syncopations and accents helping to provide tension. Garbino is softer in tone, with sustained notes decorated by moving semiquavers. This one is great for exploring tone colours and expression. Zefiro is in a 7/4 time signature and inhabits an enjoyable irregular groove.

The alto part is not especially challenging and would be within the capacities of most intermediate players. The piano part is sensitively balanced to allow space for the alto flute while also providing a sense of dialogue and support.

These are well-written pieces which I can imagine becoming popular with amateur players in particular; they have lots of offer and are fun to play.

Carla Rees

From the Publisher

Around the end of 2019 I got the desire to write for alto flute and piano, and these pieces were written between December of that year and January 2020. I gave them names the Italians use for the winds which can be experienced across their peninsula, but there is no real intention to depict these phenomena. The pieces show influences of jazz and fusion harmony with some hints of the neo-classic. I consider them to be of medium difficulty. I have opted for modal key signatures, rather than leaving the scores in “open key”, trying to find the set of sharps or flats that is nearest to the written music. The pieces can be performed separately or in a suite, in which case I would suggest the order in which they are presented here. I would like to thank Marco Macchi for his help and advice with the piano parts.

Geoff Warren, Montesilvano, 2020.

Performance duration (approx): 15'

Difficulty guide: 5-7
Difficulty level, roughly compared to ABRSM exam grades. 0 is total beginner, 9 is advanced (beyond grade 8).

Movements

  • Ghibli
  • Garbino
  • Zefiro
  • Tramontana
  • Maestrale

Item Details

Instrumentation

  • Part 1: Alto Flute
  • Part 2: Piano
Category: Accompanied Alto Flute Music
Publisher: Forton Music
Publisher's reference: FM1125
Our Stock Code: 1637489
Media Type: Paperback (26 pages [score])

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