NEW MINIATURES! January 04 2019
There was a difficult point in my life during which the only music that made sense to me were the Brahms German Waltzes, Op. 39. At that time, I was doing a great deal of freelance orchestral playing, and I would listen to these little gems endlessly as I drove up and down the Mid-Atlantic. I considered I-95 my middle name.
As time has gone on, I have grown to understand that quite often a simple work, played well, is the only answer.
And so, when Louis deLise agreed to the New Miniatures project, I could answer this need in the flute repertoire. Inspired by so many of Flute Pro Shop’s customers who have come back to the flute after 20-30 years away from the instrument, I asked Louis to write these pieces to be playable, sophisticated, and with some of the jazz, pop, and rock idioms at which he is so skilled. These are true gems: perfect forms, beautifully crafted, each with a beginning, middle and end. When playing these, you have the sense you are telling a story. This is in part because the titles are a verbal description of the musical implications. “Early January”, for instance, starts with the holiday hangover, then moves into energy and ends with the spirit of, “let’s make this the best year ever!”
Anne Sullivan, harpist extraordinaire, adds her own creative phrasing and exquisite timing to this three-way project. She has ensured that the harpist can approach each piece with confidence, while maintaining the fresh harmonic language and rhythmic subtleties that are so much a part of Louis’ compositional technique.
The project encompasses 12 miniatures which are released once a month. The score, parts, and recording will be released on the 11th; available until the 22nd. Then, poof, they will go away. Every three months, a volume of 3 printed score and flute part will be available for purchase, published by ALRY. By the end of the year, there will be 4 volumes of miniatures, and a CD compilation will be released. Anne Sullivan and Joan Sparks will provide performance guides.
These are our combined 2019 gifts to you! Enjoy them, perform them, make them yours!!
