Don Kay: Three Canzonas For Flute And Viola (1972) - Canzona II

Abstract

"The second of the three pieces was the first to be composed. Jan Sedivka suggested writing a flute piece in combination with viola for two advanced students at the Tasmanian Conservatoriun of Music in 1972, Phillipa Secomb and Keith Cretlin. It was originally performed in Melbourne by Phillipa and Keith at a Moomba Festival concert presented by students of Australian conservatoria and university music departments in 1972. The first and third canzonas were written especially for David Cubbin and Peter Komlos who had both played in the first performance of my flute quintet in Adelaide in 1974. Their effo1ts with that piece so impressed me that I felt inspired to write two more canzonas, with them in mind, when Peter indicated he was looking for suitable new music for a Hobart concert. They gave the first complete performance of the Three Canzonas at Hobart Town Hall in 1975. Each canzona, can be performed separately, but if played in sequence they should be in the order presented in this performance. They are intended to be complementary to each other rather than rigorously unified. Whereas the two instruments play fairly equal roles in Canzona,s 1 and 3, Canzona, 2 has a longish section where the flute extends and stretches the material almost beyond endurance over a long held pedal E on the viola. This section is framed by a modally inclined meditative section, which emerges from a busy dialogue, characterised by strongly marked rhythmic counterpoints punctuated by moments of quiet reflection. Canzona 1 has a certain strident quality relieved by a slow section including an almost oriental sounding flute melody accompanied by four note pizzicato chords, before the instrumental roles are reversed. Like Canzona 2, this piece concludes quietly, but on an unresolved chord of D flat, G and C. Shorter than the preceding pieces, Canzona 3 is also the most constantly active and technically demanding, with each instrument busily joining in quick unison passages orresponding to the other, like two interacting insects. Various instrumental effects are used to heighten the feeling of busy and unpredictable dialogue. A fast staccato unison melody which appears quite early returns at an increased speed which threatens to break out uncontrollably before slowing and mellowing, briefly gathering speed again, then quietly dissolving." -- Don Kay