Suite

2025
/
Chamber

Details

Category

Chamber

instrumentation

Flute and Piano

duration

ca. 10 minutes

commissioned by

Lindsey Goodman and Clare Longendyke

Written For

Dedicated to

premiered by

I. Introduction

II. Interlude

III. Scherzo

IV. Vocalise

V. Conclusion

This Suite is a five-movement work originally written for viola and piano and newly reimagined for flute and piano. The piece was inspired by the dramatic contrasts and bold character of Sergei Prokofiev’s music. I’ve long been drawn to Prokofiev’s ability to balance thorny, angular textures with moments of lyrical warmth—and in this suite, I sought to emulate that dynamic tension while exploring the expressive interplay between the two instruments. The opening Introduction unfolds as a bold fanfare: bright, declamatory lines and sharp rhythmic exchanges immediately set a tone of theatrical energy. A brief, introspective Interlude follows, its fragile atmosphere acting as a momentary pause before the whirlwind Scherzo—a giddy burst of motion filled with rhythmic mischief and harmonic bite. The fourth movement, Vocalise, turns inward. The flute withdraws, leaving the piano to sing a solitary, poignant melody that suspends time and sound in stillness. In the concluding movement, Conclusion, both instruments surge back with renewed vigor, driving toward a fiery and exhilarating close. In this new arrangement, the flute brings a luminous and agile dimension to the work, transforming its original earthbound sonorities into something more radiant and mercurial—an homage to contrast itself, and to the expressive voltage that lives between lyricism and dissonance.