Fragments Cast in Bronze

for flute and electronics

program note:

These fragments are inspired by Rodin’s sculptures – in “The Cathedral” the electronics emerge like the hands from his sculpture of the same name. In “Assemblage” I combine quotations from Verdi (in the electronics) and Debussy (in the live flute), borrowing the same idea from Rodin of combining body parts from two different people, as in his Assemblage with the mask of Camille Claudel and Pierre de Wissant’s left hand. Seeing independent sections of the body excerpted in Rodin’s sculpture gives focus to them, allowing the viewer to find new in the ordinary.

All of the electronics originate from a recording session with Alex Sopp in Fall 2019. We used fragments from a series of ascending notes, as well as excerpted quotations from the flute repertoire.

performance notes:

The flute signal should be amplified to balance with the electronics

The first movement uses a C Flute, the second Alto Flute

The piece is performed with a click track in the performer’s headphones to match with the electronics

c. 10’