Video
|
|
Kaija Saariaho -- Terrestre (2002)
With The University of Texas New Music Ensemble Dan Welcher, Conductor Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- May 2014 Commissioned in honor of the composer's 50th birthday, Terrestre is based on the second movement of the composer's flute concerto Aile du Songe, of which she says, "The first section of Terrestre, 'Oiseau dansant', introduces a deep contrast with the other material of the concerto. It refers to an Aboriginal tale in which a virtuosic dancing bird teaches a whole village how to dance. The second section ['L'Oiseau, un satellite infime'] is a synthesis of all the previous aspects, then the sound of the Flute slowly fades away..." |
|
|
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) -- Concertino for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 107
With The University of Texas University Orchestra James Welsch, Conductor Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- May 2014 A staple of the repertoire, Chaminade composed her Concertino in 1902 for the annual concours at the Paris Conservatory. More commonly heard in its arrangement for flute and piano, the full orchestral version highlights the tremendous drama and variety present in the work. |
|
|
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) -- Sonata for Flute and Piano (II. Allegretto tranquillo)
Live at the University of South Alabama -- February 2015 Sadly neglected by violinists, Pierné's beautiful Sonata for Violin and Piano has found a home in the flute repertoire, thanks to his own transcription for flute and piano. The second movement, heard here, beautifully reveals the composer's romantic aesthetic, complete with Mahler-like harmonies and voicing (somewhat surprising for a Frenchman). Ian Clarke -- Zoom Tube (1999)
Live at the 92nd Street Y -- April 2008 According to Ian's website, "Zoom Tube is a rhythmic blues influenced piece employing a raft of extended techniques to achieve its aims. A stunning addition to the flute repertoire!" The audience in this video was certainly stunned! I gave this performance in Spring 2006 at the 92nd Street Y in New York. One might even call this the "Hagen edition," as the foot stomping is not written in the score. Aaron Price -- Excerpt from Vermillion Sandstone (2012)
Live at Colby College -- July 2012 As a student at the 2012 Atlantic Music Festival, Aaron composed this beautiful work for the Contemporary Music Ensemble, taking full advantage of the beautiful colors available to him from the Pierrot instrumentation. It was a privilege to play the premiere! Alan Ridout (1934-1996) -- Ferdinand the Bull
With the Salastina Music Society Seth Rogen, Narrator Live at The Colburn School -- June 2010 This excellent arrangement by violinist Maia Jasper adds flute to play the role of the famously friendly (and misunderstood) bull Ferdinand in Alan Ridout's classic musical version of the beloved children's tale. Add narration by Seth Rogen (yes, that Seth Rogen), and you have a delight for listeners of all ages. |
Audio
|
|
Timothy Hagen -- Blowout (2008)
Recorded in May 2010 Blowout was written at the suggestion of Jim Walker, flutist extraordinaire, my former teacher, and a lifelong mentor and friend. He saw a talent for composition in me and thought I should write a piece in a rock-and-roll vein. I wrote it in the 60 hours preceding the premiere at the 2008 Jack Kent Cooke Scholars' Weekend, and its mixture of rock, blues, and a little shakuhachi has been well-received ever since. |
|
|
Timothy Hagen -- A Fragile Circle (2013)
With Dianne Frazer, Piano Live at the National Flute Association Annual Convention in New Orleans -- August 2013 A Fragile Circle was written in memory of my mom and my cat of sixteen years, both of whom I lost within four weeks during the summer of 2012. This recording was done on the fly at the premiere, which took place at the 2013 National Flute Association Convention in New Orleans. |
|
|
Timothy Hagen -- Chant (2011) Live at The Colburn School -- July 2011 Chant was composed for my Impressions Flute Recital Series that ran during the 2010-2011 concert season in Los Angeles. Conceived as a more "serious" work than my other solo flute piece, Blowout, Chant explores two of the oldest instruments in human history--the voice and the flute--separately, in combination, and in opposition. Who wins? Listen to the end to find out. |
|
|
Kaija Saariaho -- NoaNoa (1992)
Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- March 2014 In combination with playing, NoaNoa calls for the flutist to recite “fragments of phrases," taken from Paul Gauguin’s book NoaNoa, his account of his first sojourn to Tahiti from 1891-1893. Inspired by these snippets of thoughts and images, Saariaho fashions herself a symbolist after Mallarmé--Gauguin's contemporary--who wrote, “To name an object is largely to destroy poetic enjoyment.... The ideal is to suggest the object....” |
|
|
Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960) -- Aria, Op. 48, No. 1
With Ben Corbin, Piano Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- March 2014 The Aria was written in 1958 for Eleanor Baker Lawrence, a fine musician and one of the first female flutists to successfully work in New York City. One cannot hear this gorgeous piece bearing Dohnányi's final opus number without thinking the composer was somehow smitten with his muse. |
|
|
Eli Fieldsteel -- Fractus III: Aerophoneme (2011)
Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- April 2013 In Eli's own words: "Fractus III: Aerophoneme, written in close collaboration with flautist Kenzie Slottow, is third in the Fractus series. The piece gradually builds to a breaking point, reinforced by the transition from stereo to quadraphonic sound. This composition has enjoyed numerous performances and is something of a breakthrough piece...." |
|
|
Michael Mikulka -- Flute Concerto (2013) With the University of Texas New Music Ensemble Ben Stonaker, Conductor Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- April 2013 In late 2011, I commissioned my talented colleague Michael Mikulka to write a sonata for flute and piano, which I premiered with pianist Ben Corbin a few months before premiering the concerto version heard here. The work is full of energy and quirk and is rewarding for performers and audiences alike. |
|
|
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) -- Toward the Sea for alto flute and guitar
With Chad Ibison, Guitar Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- April 2013 Takemitsu's beautiful work, Toward the Sea, was inspired by his fascination with water and his admiration of Herman Melville's great novel, Moby Dick. He encodes his love for both as a motive, SEA (respelled Eb-E-A), used throughout the work's three movements: I. The Night, II. Moby Dick, III. Cape Cod. |
|
|
Pierre Danican Philidor (1681-1731) -- Cinquième Suitte for flute and continuo
With Ben Corbin, Harpsichord, and Alex Amsel, Bassoon Live at The University of Texas at Austin -- March 2013 Pierre Danican Philidor came from a long line of fine musicians who served the royal court of France, and this "suitte" is an example of his expert musical craftsmanship. In addition to its dramatic prelude, the work contains beautiful examples of the typical succession of Baroque dances: allemande, a fast dance with running passagework; sarabande, a slow, mournful dance typified by accents on second beats; and gigue, a lively dance in compound meter that was a favorite finale of eighteenth century composers. |
