IMOGEN.
Opus. 14
Instrumentation: Flute + Piano
Duration: 11 Minutes, Three Movements
Commissioned By: Cincinnati Soundbox
PROGRAM NOTE.
Commissioned for Cincinnati Soundbox's inaugural concert, IMOGEN for flute + piano weaves together several made-up folk songs to tell the stories of three very different Innogen or Ingen, the Old Irish words for maiden. In this piece I return to my Gaelic heritage to find ways to help the piano and flute evoke the bagpipes, bodhrán, celtic harp, and penny whistle. Two of the melodies used in this piece were developed from fragments I've had kicking around in my brain since I made them up when I was twelve. Chia-Chen Feng and Brianna Matzke brought Imogen to beautiful life in the premiere performance.
From an interview with Cincinnati Soundbox prior to the premiere:
CSB: What specifically about these Gaelic folk sounds – sonically and conceptually – drew you to them? What are your personal experiences with these sounds and ideas?
SAB: I’ve been in love with the bagpipes forever. (I probably heard them for the first time at the annual Celtic heritage festival my parents took me to beginning when I was in kindergarten.) There’s something about having a drone hit me in the chest and reverberate through me that lends a joy I can’t find anywhere else. It made sense to go ahead and borrow from the catalog of Gaelic instruments at least as a jumping off point for this piece – there are places where the flute won’t sound like our classical flute, where the piano is more interested in its beat than its pitch, and of course drones abound.
CSB: What prompted you to explore them in this piece and with this instrumentation?
SAB: I really, really enjoy melodies as painted in time and timbre by the flute! I’ve never had an occasion to write for flute and piano before, so I wanted to work with both instruments to create this collection of songs almost; these melodies that would be as close to [being] sung as possible without the voice entering the instrumental equation. The nature of the melodies lent themselves to creating a lovely narrative incorporating inspiration from those other, more ancient instruments.
Details // Concert Prep
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PDF Score + Part(s) sent via email within 2-3 business days. I’m excited to connect with you!
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commissioner biography.
Cincinnati Soundbox is a new music concert series and presenting organization. We seek to:
Highlight works by living composers that are not confined by style and reflect a wide scope of voices and experiences in a creative and accessible way
Diversify the Cincinnati music scene with works from both local composers and composers from around the United States and across the world
Create cultural connections globally through presenting the works of living composers in tandem with concerts in other cities
