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Flute Stories: Fairytales and Legends


Details

Joanne Lazzaro full profile / Solo flutes / 1 musician


Full program notes

Claude Debussy - Syrinx
Debussy portrays the ancient story of the demi-god Pan and his pursuit of woman named Syrinx, who was turned into a reed flute (by a more powerful deity) to escape Pan. It's considered to be the European equivalent of the "origin story" of the invention of the flute.

Gordon Jacob - The Pied Piper
- The legend of a town in England that hires a flutist to chase away rats by playing a haunting melody that lures them to their deaths. When the townspeople decide not to pay him, the Piper plays a piccolo song to lure all the children down to the river...

Marc Granados - La Bella Y ... El Terco - A Venezuelan Waltz
- A modern-day fairy tale of a young lady who falls in love with a man who is charming, but also narcissistic and possibly dangerous. It's a melodramatic "tele-novella" for the flute.

Katherine Hoover - Kokopeli & Winter Spirits
Inspired by her travels to the Grand Canyon, these pieces recount the story of Kokopelli, the flute-playing trickster, and smoke-filled dreams around a campire. We don't ask what's in the smoke.

Arthur Honegger - Danse De La Chevre
- A pastoral story about how cute goats are when they jump around. The goat is fine at the end - no worries here!

P. O. Ferroud - Trois Pieces pour Flute (Begére Captive & Jade)
- Tales based on ancient Chinese folklore - a very pleasant mash-up of French romanticism and Chinese folk music. Played on whichever flutes suit my fancy that day.

Alan Rideout - Farndale Dances (selections)
- A modern look at scenes from the English countryside. Cute animals and a river also appear here! Played on piccolo, because it sounds like the birdies are telling the story.
(The above program may be shortened as needed or lengthened as time allows).


Historical context

The flute is the second-oldest instrument known to humankind. For many thousands of years, music for flute was not written or recorded in any way, so we have no idea what all those folks portrayed on walls, pottery, rocks and caves, were actually playing. Composed music, a fairly recent invention, helps keep the flute stories alive, and preserves them for future generations.


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