Chamber Music flute,
piano
SKU:
PR.114422710
Composed
by Charles Gibb. Set of
Score and Parts. 44+8
pages. Duration 24
minutes. Theodore Presser
Company #114-42271.
Published by Theodore
Presser Company
(PR.114422710).
ISBN
9781491136072. UPC:
680160688227.
DUOâ
€™s succinct movement
titles (I. Here, II.
Open, III. Stark, IV.
Ardent) tease at
revealing the grand and
heartfelt inspiration for
exuberant romanticism in
this sonata-like work of
symphonic proportions and
depth. Charles Gibb is
both an accomplished
pianist and an
award-winning flutist,
who has written of this
compelling major addition
to the literature:
“This work is a
journey. What journey and
whose journey does not
matter. It is my journey,
it is your journey. It is
the journey of those who
came before us, and of
those who will come after
us. I wrote this hoping
that we can find each
other along the road, so
we can realize that we
don’t need to go
on the journey
alone.â€
Gibb’s DUO is sure
to become a favorite
major work for flute
recitalists.
This work
is a journey. What
journey and whose journey
does not matter. It is my
journey, it is your
journey. It is the
journey of those who came
before us, and of those
who will come after us. I
wrote this hoping that we
can find each other along
the road, so we can
realize that we
don’t need to go
on the journey
alone.“Hereâ€
begins with three notes
that shape the rhythmic
and harmonic content of
the entire work. Melodies
and harmonies including
the tonic, dominant, and
leading tone can be found
in each of the four
movements. The first
moments of this movement
introduce the melody,
offering itself
unencumbered and
uninhibited. It shows
itself as it is. The
melodies soar, the
harmonies become voiced
more intricately, and the
opening theme repeats in
full grandeur. The
momentum slows down, and
the movement ends with a
sense of completion, yet
remains unbalanced.A
striking piano gesture
launches
“Open,†the
idea of instability
reflected with the
flowing flute trills and
unclear meter patterns in
the piano. The sensation
of an unsteady grace in
5/8 time arrives with a
piano ostinato. The
melody is expressive, yet
insecure and unbalanced
due to changing meters.
After a grand pause, the
movement transitions to
4/4 time with the flute
switching between duplet
and triplet flourishes.
After a rapid descent in
the flute, the opening
gesture returns, changed
and abruptly
interrupted.The third
movement,
“Stark,†is
very static, beginning
plainly but markedly. The
falling fifth calls out
continually throughout
the movement, searching,
lost. Melodies appear in
pieces, some smooth and
flowing, others rather
disjunct. The piece
climaxes with a line of
mournfulness, yet
revealing a deeper
strength through intense
projection of tone in the
high register. However,
the static harmonies
return, this time
unsteady all the way to
its foundation. This
destabilization repeats,
and then quietly
recedes.“Ardentâ
is the longest of the
movements and spans a
wide range of musical
emotion. Part of the
movement is fast paced,
energetic, and balances
order and disarray.
However, once the chaos
dies down, a gentle,
expressive theme comes
in. The theme itself is
very resolute; it is
order appearing from the
pandemonium. Conflict
returns, and order and
chaos become less
distinguishable from one
another, and soon fuse
together. However, order
returns with new meaning,
synthesized with previous
musical content, creating
a truer, deeper sense of
awareness or
understanding. A moment
of ambiguity arises, but
the flute persists,
supported by the
sensitive but firm
figuration in the piano,
and resoundingly comes to
a close, unburdened and
at ease.
