In Search of Aquatic Life for Solo Flute

If you are programming a recital and are in the all too familiar position of "I need one more little thing", I would encourage you to add this work to your list of possible contenders.

Beginning with a simple and slightly fragmented intervallic motif that explores pauses both on notes and in silence, the piece will instantly captivate an audience and draw them in to the performance. The writing here really provides the performer the space and opportunity to paint a picture with the gestures as they grow, restart, and build into the central idea of this work; fast flying notes with small deviations in pitch that carve out a melody.

There is ample opportunity for interpretation and endless subtle differences in performance thanks to the desired level of rubato and directions such as ebb and flow like rolling waves which can be used to keep an audience guessing where the pace will pick up and die down.

There is an interesting additional idea in the composition around two thirds of the way through which comes a little out of left field; however, convincing performance and building back to a recapitulation can smooth out this sudden change.

This is a piece that will undoubtedly make its way into my performance roster as it is a very clear concept that is communicated well through the writing and will be clear to an audience in performance. The piece itself isn't difficult to learn thanks to how easily it lands under the fingers despite the speed, so it is approachable both for audience and player: win-win!