“City of Mystics” (2010) for flute, harp and chamber orchestra

Performances:
28/07/13 Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium, Corning,
USA Endless Mountains Festival Chamber Orchestra, Conductor: Stephen Gunzenhauser.

Listen to CITY OF MYSTICS (Movement 1 – “Cantus Firmus”)
Listen to CITY OF MYSTICS (Movement 2 -3 “Air” – “Basso Ostinato”)

“City of Mystics” was commissioned by the Israel Camerata Jerusalem and the Tel-Aviv Art Museum.
At the heart of the work lies the challenge of writing a piece for an ensemble (flute, harp, and strings) usually associated with a refined classical work that would go in a totally unexpected stylistic direction – a crossover between contemporary composition, elements of Far-Eastern music, and modern fusion jazz.
It is precisely this combination of wind and plucked sounds that produces an exotic sonority effect of an instrument from a distant Fantasy Land not found on any map, from the City of Mystics.
In order to enhance the contrast between the contemplative and rhythmic parts, the instrumentation of the orchestra includes, besides the strings, a part for a semi-acoustic “rhythm-section” comprising a pianist and a bass guitarist, both of whom have opportunities to demonstrate their respective virtuosity during the work. They form a counterpoint to the continuous Cantus firmus-like melody hovering over the turmoil of the imaginary landscape of the City of Mystics.

The piece was premiered by the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra under maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser  at the Endless Mountains Festival, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on September 2014.

Score samples: