Preludio, Aria e Cabaletta (alto flute and piano)

I had long wished to write an original work for alto flute and piano. As the flute has been my principal instrument by family tradition, and also because of the affection my father had for both the alto flute and the bass flute, it has been a true pleasure to compose this piece.

The beautiful sonority of the alto flute in its lower register is especially brought to the fore. By contrast, the upper register appears only occasionally.

This is a short work structured in three interconnected sections, performed without interruption, and based on distinct thematic material. The Preludio serves as a brief introduction to the more fully developed Aria. In the Aria, the flute, in its lower register, engages in a gentle dialogue with the piano through calm, well-shaped melodies at a slow tempo.

The Aria is built around a single theme, first presented by the flute and later repeated by the piano, while the flute develops new, more elaborate figurations. A small climax is reached at the first ff of the work, which then fades into a distant silence at the end.

The Cabaletta is a form derived from Italian bel canto which, following a slow and expressive aria, leads to a faster and more virtuosic final section in which the soloist displays their most technical abilities. Thematically, it develops only two ideas: the first, derived from the closing gesture of the Aria and fluid in character, and the second, introduced later by the flute and more lyrical in nature. A brief central passage features curious percussive effects produced by the flute keys, before returning to a varied re-exposition.

An even faster and more brilliant Coda brings the work to a sparkling conclusion.

Salvador Brotons