Arabesque

for flute and vibraphone (2007)

Duration: ca. 16 minutes

Arabesque is a duo for flute and vibraphone, begun in 2005.  Unlike some of my pieces, the conception and the image for this piece, and the title for the work, came to me simultaneously, before the process of composition even began. In this case, the title Arabesque refers to  the idea of a decorative image with interlocked, intricate patterns, not a ballet pose.  In Arabesque, this idea refers to the way the music for the flute and the vibraphone interact.  On many occasions, the flute part remains relatively calm and stationary,with long sustained notes, while the music for the vibraphone weaves around it, with musical arabesques. Sometimes, like at the opening of the work, where the flute melody is supported by a single note in the vibraphone, this relationship is reversed.  The piece goes through  a wide variety of musical textures, from calm and static, to the central hypnotically-rhythmic section of the work.  As in many of my pieces, nearly all of the material in the piece is in someway related, and is often reheard in several different musical guises.