SKU: BT.EMBZ13536

The series 300 YEARS OF FLUTE MUSIC was compiled with the history of music and the instrument in mind. The Early Baroque (Z. 13533) presents the beginnings, the Italian Baroque (Z. 13534) collates the Mediterranean style with the German, French and Netherlandish art of The High Baroque (Z. 13535). The volume entitled The Second Half of the 18th Century (Z. 13536) illustrates the end phase of the Baroque as well as the rise of Classicism. The Vienna Classics (Z. 13537) draws on the works of the three great masters only. The two volumes of Romantic Flute Virtuosos (Z. 13538 and Z. 13539) contain works by German and French composers.

SKU: SU.97023310

Inspired by the French Romantic and Impressionist traditions, my romances for fute and piano, composed during late July and early August 1984, was carefully conceived for the marvelous lyrical and technical gifts of Robert Stallman and Richard Goode, to whom the work is warmly dedicated. All three Romances, although brief in duration, unfold with a sense of large gesture and design. The first Romance is in 3/4 time and flows generally in the manner of a lyrical waltz with occasional turbulent interruptions. The second Romance is in 4/4 time, unfolding in a stately Baroque-like manner, and the third Romance is in 2/4 time, melodically expansive and often tempestuous. All three Romances strive to honor the goals of traditional performance practice while, at the same time, they create an energy and drama of modernity and contemporary richness. And for these goals I am indebted to so many of the most outstanding performers and conductors of our time with whom I have worked and from whom I have learned much– those who have demonstrated the importance of preserving in addition to further developing those significant natural attributes of musical expression and traditional performance practice which are so often ignored in contemporary compositional values. — William Thomas McKinleyFlute & Piano Duration: 14' Composed: 1984 Published by: Notevole Music Publishing.

SKU: PR.114418900

ISBN 9781491129517. UPC: 680160668632.

A welcome addition to the bass flute repertoire, Dorff’s 14-minute sonata is designed as two pairs of slow-fast movements. While composed as a complete 4-movement sonata, either half may be performed alone as a 7-minute recital work. The movement titles are: I. Sprawling, burbling; II. Sparkling, glistening; III. Under Winter; and IV. Spring Spirits.
When Peter Sheridan commissioned me to write a piece for bass flute and piano, his only requests were a sonata-like multi-movement work, and some kind of reference to New York, where we both grew up. Just the thought of a bass flute, with its broad and mighty airstream, already reminded me of the mighty Hudson River: from the dense woods of upstate New York, through the beautiful landscapes of New Paltz and Poughkeepsie, down through the celebrated Manhattan waterway.As I daydreamed how to build a sonata inspired by the Hudson, I thought of its deep primal nature carved by the Ice Age, and the life within the river and on its shores long before humans arrived. I thought of how the river’s magnetism drew Native Americans who honored and built their lives around it. I thought of beautiful trees and wildlife, the annual cycles of ecosystems, and the natural symbiosis between the river itself, the life within, and the life on land spawned by the river’s resources.I wondered what if Thoreau had sat by the Hudson rather than by Walden Pond; I wondered what if Hesse had set Siddhartha in the Hudson Valley with this river as his metaphor for the flow of life and time.I wondered whether the sonata should flow from north to south, or have chronological references. I wondered if I should allude to the many poets and painters who have drawn inspiration from the mighty Hudson. Every thought led to the river’s essence, its own spirit and life — flowing through raw nature, from skinny trickles to mightiness spawning cities; supporting subtle life, and becoming a central commons for human societies.The subtitle Spirit of the Hudson brings it all together.* * *The sonata is built in 4 movements, with formal inspiration from the Baroque: A slow Mvt. 1 “Sprawling, burbling” leads directly to the rapid Mvt. 2 “Sparkling, glistening,” followed by another slow-fast pair: Mvt. 3 “Under Winter” which leads directly into Mvt. 4 “Spring Spirits.” In addition to performances of the complete sonata, either pair of movements may be performed on its own for a shorter concert segment.SONATA (SPIRIT OF THE HUDSON) was premiered at the International Low Flutes Festival in April 2018 by its commissioner, bass flutist Peter Sheridan, with Hyeeun Hahm as pianist.