Contents: Story Book, Dancing Around the Chairs, A Glass and a, Half, Dancing and Dreaming, Apartment 23, Tempest, Mum's doing her Pilates, Hotel Foyer Calendar, Flowering Gum, Murky Blue, Square Dance, Cottage Garden
Contents: Deluge, Dirt Blues, Karwan, Harriet's Lullaby, Simpatico, Umlaut
Program note
A phoenix - is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colourful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends).
It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.
The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self.
Program Note
The Sonata for solo flute is a musical portrait of my friend and colleague James Kortum. Its inspiration comes from working with James over many years. We taught in adjacent rooms at Newcastle Conservatorium, hearing James practice was always part of my day. His wizzy technique on the flute, a luscious slow movement, and the orchestral repertoire for flute - Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Nights dream is a favorite. On hearing whistle tones for the first time, I knew that this eerie sound would have to be a feature of the Sonata.
