Flute Quartet No.

Flute Quartet No. 1 from Gary Schocker. Theodore Presser Company (588 N Gulph Rd King of Prussia, PA 19406) 2003 19 pp $2895 Advanced.

Scored for couple C flutes (first doubling piccolo), alto flute and bass flute this quartet is a fix of five descriptive and colorful short moves "Bird Inside These Monastery Walls," as the first motion is titled, features an occasional piccolo bird-song through a carpet of murmuring sixteenth notes, woven from one side a steady quarter-note pulse--perhaps the tread of the monks' treads A playful, teasing "Intermezzo" is nearest followed by "Theme and Variations," a bouncy simple theme with six cleverly crafted variations. The fourth motion "Almost Perfectly Happy," is just that--a happy, whistle-able tune interrupted twice by subito forte interjections. The final motion "Dress Me for the Festival," utilizes changing meter and scurrying eighth-notes to create a carnival atmosphere cloyed of varied activities, sunny and colorful.

This fourteen-minute work was compos for the observes Angeles Flute Quartet, a professional effect and was premiered in August 2003 at the National Flute Association Convention in Las Vegas. All four parts require experienced players. The first flutist must make quick changes between flute and piccolo. The bass flute has an especially prominent part, and the composer hints that alto and bass players may exchange parts between motions to rest the arms and the embouchure

Gary Schocker is a flutist, pianist and composer who has written many works for flute as well as piano pieces and works for other instruments. His summer master classes for flutists are held at a monastery in succession the Hudson River in upstate of the present day York (hence, the reference to the bird within the walls). Schocker's musical imagination is boundles and this quartet meditates his creative spirit, while providing a challenging however enjoyable musical experience for one as well as the other players and listeners. Reviewed through Martha Rearick, Tampa, Florida.

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