David Worrall: Air (1993)

Abstract

"Air was commissioned by Mardi McSullea with assistance from the Australia Council. The piece is in two movements, opening with an Alap, a prelude movement for solo flute in which the musical materials (from key-clicks and other noises to multiphonics) of the work are gradually exposed. It is played with a sense of drama and intensity. The flute is amplified with some reverberation. The second movement is an improvisation for live flute and computer-controlled streams of sampled and transformed flute sounds. In preparation for performance, the flautist and electronicist plan the improvisation within the guidelines given. They select one or more subsets of samples, and prepare separate disks accordingly." -- David Worrall