Contemporary classics

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS
And difficulties encountered in performing contemporary flute music

Although the literature for flute today is one of the richest, and
information about correct performance and interpretation are easily
available, for most young flutists it is still very challenging to cope
with the works of contemporary music literature. I think it is particularly
important to give special attention to works for solo instrument because
it's the best way to develop our artistic identity.

Due to the the complexity and difficulty of the repertoire, there is the
lack of new music studied in university programs. Complex works are seldom
played, which is why I was thinking that we should gradually develop our
technique and interpretation from easier interpretation and notations to
one such as group New Complexity.

The program that I propose, called "Contemporary Classics" includes
performances and explanations of why I chose these composition and which
problems can we overcome step by step through them. I believe that
experiential knowledge is the most effective way of learning and that it
can be very motivating when we hear other young flutists using contemporary
language as their own, because it actually belongs to the youth.

While choosing many times derived compositions, I wanted to present them
from the perspective of a young flutist, through the following:

- Briefly about the composition

- Reason behind choosing these very works (why I think it is great for
mastering techniques of contemporary music) and demonstration of actual
difficulties

- Performance

The biggest challenge is to understand from a philosophical point of view
how does the composer presents the music, and the way he uses every
technical aspect of it; tone, dynamics, vibrato and other modern techniques
in order to make music in a different kind of way that we are used on. New
concept of interpretation raises the sound as an independent unit in time
and space. All this leads to interesting questions such as; What are the
limits of a musical instrument? What are the boundaries of a piece of
music? How the audience experiences the new understanding?

After Debussy's solo flute composition Syrinx that is considered to be the
begining of contemporaneous musical modernism because of delicate timbral
effects and whole tone scales, a real turning point in flute playing was
Density 21.5 composed by Edgard Varese.

Flutist Georges Barrera premiered the piece in 1936 at the benefit concert
for the Lycée Français in New York.

It contains the first use of key-clicks, drum-like sounds made by slapping
the keys while playing a soft staccato notes (without tounge), extended use
of the extreme upper register, demonstarating the possibilities of a new
platinum flute for which the piece is actually written
(the density of platinum is close to 21.5 grammes per cubic centimetre).

With a distincive and memorable motifs, Varese pointed out the utilization
of specific, structurally significant elements of one work as the basis of
a new work.

The piece is suitable for a beginner because it requires complete control
under tone and timber and equal dynamics in all registers. All rhythms and
tempos need to be precise to achieve the desired interpretation.

It's dramatic structure brings excitement and it is especially important to
keep the stillness after the registral climax.

Impact of a work redefined the flute as an instrument capable of a
powerfull musical intensity, due to a new expression.



Next important piece is Luciano Berio's Sequenza I. It was premeired in
1958 by famous Italian flutist Severino Gazzelloni.

This piece is very important to every flutist because of its proportional
notation, it is written without barlines and standard metric values and it
is often structurally ambiguous.

Although there is a second edition with metric values, this is a truly
challenging piece because of its dynamics, rhythm and sense for timing. It
is not so much the question of slower or faster speed, but rather the
proportions of the durations.

For the first time the composer also requires multiphonics that are great
for the start of practice of different positions of the embouchure needed
for this extended technique.



Toru Takemitsu composed Itinerant to mourn the death of his friend, the
sculptor, Isamu Noguchi.

The first performance was given by Paula Robison in 1989 at the Isamu
Noguchi Museum in New York.

Since Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of
instrumental and orchestral timbre, interesting thing that we can achieve
in this piece is a new tone color, using the embouchure with more air and
very flexible upper lip. There are many multiphonics and fingerings for
hollow tone effect written, which help us increase our flexibility. The
extreme use od pianissimo in third octave and whistle tones, also develop
our technique significantly.

Takemitsu's combines elements of his own Japanese traditions with the
western modernism he loved so much, and a special attention should be given
to pauses, in order to make a sense of space. He was using wind and
shakuhachi flute as programmatic references.

"My music is like a garden, and I am the gardener. Listening to my music
can be compared with walking through a garden and experiencing the changes
in light, pattern and texture."



Circumambulation is composed by Yan Maresz in 1993 during his studies in
America.

Challenging thing in this piece is to keep the tonal difference between the
two voice, two contrasting musical materials that he used to get an
impression of polyphony on mono" instrument.

Steady tempo should be maintained in the lower voice which is produced with
the key click filled with air and it should not be disturbed with the
rhythmic accumulaton in the upper voice.

Flutter tonguing is also used in this piece, as well as in all other works
on the program.



The final piece of the program is Cassandra's Dream Song by Brian
Ferenyhough.

It is composed in 1970 and today, 45 years later it is still one of the
most complicated pieces written for solo flute.

Ferenyhough took part in the New Complexity movement, which is
characterized by the use of techniques which require extremely complex
musical notation. This includes extended techniques, complex and often
unstable textures, microtonality, highly disjunct melodic contour, complex
layered rhythms and abrupt changes in texture.

Since it is a highly abstract piece, it requires complete devotion to the
material, in order to achieve unity in the expression.

Within the extremely tight constrictions of the notation and the density of
musical argument, there is still an element of freedom – performer can
choose the order in which fragments will be played. In that way we are
alslo subverting the musical structure that composer has set in motion.

The duration of the entire presentation:

- The introduction to the particular composition with technique examples




15 min.
- The programm:

Edgard Varese - Density 21.5


Luciano Berio - Sequenza I

Toru Takemitsu - Itinerant

Yan Maresz - Circumambulation

Brian Ferenyhough - Cassandra's Dream Song
25 min.


40 min.