# Flute Choir Piece



## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

I have been thinking for some time that I should at least post one of my compositions, if for no other reason than to have a little skin in the game.

So here's a fairly recent work of mine for Piccolo, 4 C Flutes and an Alto Flute. It's in an arch form.

I've just started to promote this piece so it's now in the hands of some flute ensemble directors, but what comes of it, well, there's no way to predict.

View attachment Flute Choir piece.mp3


----------



## hreichgott (Dec 31, 2012)

I thought this was great. Beautiful, interesting, well structured and well developed, great use of ensemble, and I always like a piece with a good dramatic arc, whether arch or not 

Hope you find success with performances.


----------



## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Thank you for the kind words, Heather.

Some of my pieces get a quick premiere and then nothing else; others take years before they get their baptism, but then they garner further performances and of course some never see the light of day; but on the other hand, believe it or not, I have several pieces that I wrote and were published 40 years ago and still get played today.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I like it. The tonality it is in is interesting. It seems melodically conceived, very melodic, rather than harmonic.


----------



## differencetone (Dec 13, 2014)

Beautiful piece. Would love to hear a performance of this.


----------



## Majed Al Shamsi (Feb 4, 2014)

Excellent work, Vasks! Loved it!
I think you should share more of your works on the forum.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

This is not merely adept, it is ultimately listenable and engaging. It does not surprise me at all to learn you have earlier works still in circulation!

I agree with the request / urging in Majed Al Shamsi's above post: post more of your works, pull up the general level of what gets presented in Today's Composers 

(Congratulations, too, btw.)


----------



## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Vasks said:


> I have been thinking for some time that I should at least post one of my compositions, if for no other reason than to have a little skin in the game.
> 
> So here's a fairly recent work of mine for Piccolo, 4 C Flutes and an Alto Flute. It's in an arch form.
> 
> ...


I thought it was wonderful. Good luck, though I doubt you'll need it


----------



## Ian Moore (Jun 28, 2014)

It would be good to hear your work being performed by real life musicians.


----------



## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Holy Moly so many kudos in such a short period for a resurrected post. Thank you all for those nice words.

Now as to putting more pieces up, certainly I've considered it, but I am conflicted with two concerns:

1) I really hate putting up synthetic sounds. The problems abound when my Sibelius 6 can't produce such things as string harmonics (I can't stop the vibrato), col legno (I have to combine soft wood block with string pitch), not being able to change the vibrato speed of a vibraphone or turn it off all together, not being able to distinguish brass straight mutes vs cup mutes or Harmon mutes, some standard percussion instruments that I use are not available, etc, etc, etc.

2) With new pieces that have yet to be played (once proof of performance exists it provides me with at some ability to show that they are indeed mine). I worry that someone may transcribe my ideas (in whole or in part) and issue them as theirs. Mind you, it's not that my ego is so big that I think my ideas are world beaters, but I still get antsy about it.

With that said, I do have recordings of real performers playing some older works of mine that I could post, but we composers tend to want to share our newest pieces as they reflect our current (_hopefully improved_) ability and style. It looks like I may have two newer pieces being played this coming March. If the performances take place and if they're decent and if the performers actually give me a audio of it, I'll put them up here. But my list of "_ifs_" is based on past disappointments. Last year, for example I had three premieres (a percussion trio, a set of songs for soprano and 6 instruments and a brass sextet) and all three ensembles did not share their performance recording with me....sigh...and I even dropped big hints that I'd love to hear those recordings...nadda ....sigh.

And with all that said, I'm considering posting here a work for oboe and string quartet that I finished a few months back. While that's not really an odd combo, I sort of feel that it may have a limited chance for future performances and so to share it here might be the only way for it to see daylight. I wrote it just for me to try out of few different stylistic things.

Speaking of which, I am a bit of a musical polyglot, so don't be surprised if some of my pieces don't follow the mold of my flute choir piece. For example I just completed an arrangement of a Christmas carol for chamber orchestra that's jazzy in a popular/general audience idiom.


----------

