One Ann Arbor Morn

Description

Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute — I spent much of my youth in Ann Arbor, Michigan, riding my bicycle down its tree-canopied streets to adventure — when I wasn’t at home building some mischievous assemblage of electrical parts, wood, or chemicals. I remember it as a place of beauty and peace, and was surprised when I returned as an adult to find my recollections accurate.When long-time flute friend Debbie Ash — a current resident of Ann Arbor — asked me to write a piece for her, I knew that I wanted to celebrate our common hometown and, by extension, the home that each of us remembers from childhood.Debbie’s commission was to mark the long-awaited acquisition of her new alto flute, which she had chosen at its birthplace during a visit to Japan. Accordingly, the piece features the alto, both in sweeping solos and in harmony with others. But she specified a trio for C flute, alto, and contra; she loved the interplay and diversity of that instrumentation and wanted to have her own slice of it. The piece is written for either contra or bass.The first movement, Through the Arbor, is something of an overture to the calm parts of our collective first act. I recall trees on our street, walking through parks, rivers, the security of family routine.As I look back to childhood, a recurrent memory is of the quiet sunny weekend mornings, the crisp air so full of promise and joy, the simple, unburdened days just waiting to be filled with discovery or lying in the sunshine or getting lost in the moment of new experience. I hope you hear that in Morningtide Promise.When I wasn’t indoors, I would often sit in the yard, revel in the sun on my back, and look at nature. Those squirrels! What are they up to, so twitchy and furtive? Perhaps the answer may be found in Agent McSquirrel and the New Feeder Caper.Here is my small celebration: some impressions of beauty, peace, adventure, and imagination from childhood. I hope you like it.— Jonathan Cohen One Ann Arbor Morn is a quaintly touching suite of scenes from the composer’s childhood, scored for the rich and rare trio instrumentation of C Flute, Alto Flute, and Bass (or Contrabass). I. Through the Arbor is a bucolic recollection of trees, parks, and rivers. II. Morningtide Promise begins with an Alto solo; it is a sunny weekend when life was simple. III. Agent McSquirrel and the New Feeder Caper is not only the scherzo suggested by its playful title, but a steamy flute trio tinged with the film noir jazz suggesting detectives investigating the latest burglary caper.