"A Flute Renaissance"

Debut CD
Program and Program Notes

"...a good ensemble CD from UpTown Flutes...loved it. Good music and good playing from the excellent group."--
Sir. James Galway
Sept. 29, 2003

Visit Sir. James Galway's web site

"A Flute Renaissance" Program

1. Renaissance for a New Millennium (10:00)--Ricky Lombardo

Nymphs (7:30)--Gary Schocker
2. Gathering
3. In the Wood
4. In the Air

Brandenburg Concerto No 3 (10:00)--JSBach/John Davis
5. Moderato
6. Allegro

Memories of East Tennessee in the Early Forties (12:30)--Alan Austin Scott
7. Cades cove in 43
8. White Frame Church near Tater Branch
9. "Rhododen-dance"

Three for Eight (8:00)--Katherine Hoover
10. Dunes
11. Sandpipers
12. Kites

13. Over the Edge (10:00)--Benjamin Boone
Gary Fink, guest percussionist
Albert Cerulo, guest percussionist

14. Celebration (6:00)--Katherine Hoover

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Program Notes

Renaissance for a New Millennium (2001) (Lombardo Music Publications), by composer, arranger, and flutist Ricky Lombardo was commissioned by the Drew University Music Department to celebrate the 7th Annual New Jersey Flute Choir Day, Virginia Schulze-Johnson, Director. The work is a descriptive composition written in five connected movements: Vistas, Regenesis, Trials and Tribulations, Renewal, and The New Frontier, which musically portray events of a new millennium. Colors and textures of the ensemble are explored in this programmatic work. The commission was made possible through grants provided by the Brannen-Cooper Fund and Drew University.

Nymphs (1995) (Theodore Presser), for Flute Quartet by composer, flutist and pianist Gary Schocker gives the listener a musical setting that colorfully portrays the sprightly beings. The titles of the three movements are self-explanatory: I. Gathering, II. In the Woods, and III. In the Air. Like Hoover, Schockers understanding of the flute comes from his own experiences as a consummate flutist.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (c. 1713) (Falls House Press), originally composed by Johann Sebastian Bach for string chamber orchestra, is here arranged for flute ensemble by John Davis (1998). The piece is a concerto grosso; that is, each member carries two roles, that of ensemble player and that of soloist. In this arrangement, the C flutes take the violin parts, alto and bass flutes taking the viola and cello parts.

John Davis is band director and professor of flute and saxophone at Berry College in Georgia.

Memories of East Tennessee in the Early Forties (1994) (ALRY Publications), by Austin Alan Scott was inspired by the composers two-year stay in the region of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee some fifty years ago. The first movement depicts the secluded pastoral character of an isolated mountain valley, home to the thriving, self-sufficient community of pioneer descendants who had retained the old ways even as late as the 1940s, now part of a national park. The second movement portrays a service at the Missionary Baptist Church in the valley, where revival hymns would ring out as the congregation sang with great fervor. The third movement is written in the style of popular country dance music of the region, such as would have been played at the square-dance hall in Gatlinburg, where a loud, rambunctious crowd would gather to dance every Saturday night.

Three for Eight (1996) (Papagena Press) by composer and flutist Katherine Hoover, so named for its three movements written for eight flutes of various sizes, is described by the composer: "much of this piece was written during a blizzard, which may account for its obsession with summer at the beach. The first movement, Dunes, is about the slow shifting of shapes (colors, harmonies) that one sees in sand and clouds. Sandpipers draws its motion from the quirky scurrying of bunches of these little birds as they chase the waves up and down the beach. Kites sail with great freedom by the ocean, gliding gracefully, then darting and diving with sudden gusts." Composer and flutist, Katherine Hoover writes for the instruments of the flute family with a deep understanding of their beauties and idiosyncrasies.

Over the Edge (1997) (ALRY Publications), by composer and jazz saxophonist Benjamin Boone was commissioned by the Blumenthal Foundation and the National Flute Industry Council, Inc., in honor of the 25th anniversary of the National Flute Association in 1997. This work combines conventional flute writing with highly aggressive, jazz-oriented writing. The performers are called upon to play vigorously in sections marked Electrically, Wild and Dangerous, Sassy, Saucy, Spicy, Insistently, Seductively, Alluringly, and Over the Edge.

Celebration (2001) (Papagena Press), by Katherine Hoover was written for the National Flute Association Convention held in Dallas, Texas in August 2001. It was performed by a large ensemble of students of Joseph Mariano gathered to honor the great flute teacher. The composer writes, "the piece was written to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Joseph Mariano, flutist extraordinaire and teacher at the Eastman School of Music for many years. I was lucky enough to be among the many students who benefited from his knowledge and care. In Celebration I have quoted some of the pieces that I studied under Josephs tutelage, as well as others that have become part of our heritage as flutists."

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