Thursday, July 21, 2011

What is your favorite piece to perform and why?

My favorite piece to perform is Apparition and Release by Michael Oliva (www.michaeloliva.net). It was the first piece he wrote for me in a collaboration which has since lasted for well over 10 years. The piece is for Kingma system alto flute and electronics, and I still think it’s one of the most well-written alto flute pieces out there. Michael seems to have an instinctive sense of how to compose for the instrument, and he captures the soul of it. It’s a very emotional piece to perform, and has everything in it; expression, technical challenges, and a wonderful electronic part. We’ve performed it over fifty times now, I think, and every time it seems to come to life in a new way. That’s the sign of a great piece! Carla Rees - London, England


I go in cycles.  And like choosing what to wear in the morning, my favorite piece to perform depends on my mood :)
Viviana Guzman - San Francisco, CA

Hard to say just one, but I do think Copland’s Duo for flute and piano is one of the most delightful works for flute by an American composer.  I love the many moods of the piece and how effective it is with audiences.   The opening notes are so simple yet powerful -- I think of being alone on a Western prairie with the sun just rising – it is beautiful.  Then the restrained yet deep emotional poignancy in  the second movement, followed with the lively “cowboys having a rip-roaring good time” in the third movement.   Altogether a wonderful American piece full of rhythmic play.
Kathryn Master - Sarasota, FL

Favorite piece to perform:  Syrinx, for it's simple freedoms. 
Mercedes Smith - Houston, TX