I. Beyond the Mountains
II. Forgotten Incantation
Ancient Airs (2004) for solo flute was written for and is dedicated to flutist Sandra Ragusa.
It is in two movements, each with a spirit of "ancient airs" re-imagined in a modern context.
The ancestry of the modern flute as a folk instrument is the inspiration for the work's concept.
They should always be played with a lyrical, singing approach.
Beyond the Mountain uses as its basic musical material a simple transformation of a modal
melody in D minor. Gradually tones are added borrowed from other modalities. The opening
section is slow and lyrical. The middle section is more active -- contrasting the D minor
chord tones with the added diminished tones of the first section. The final section recalls the
material of the opening with a wider transformation.
Forgotten Incantation uses a wider modal language than the first movement. Although still
generally slow and song-like, it is more energetic. Energetic gestures interrupt and drive the
song narrative forwards.