Oiseau Miro (2001)
for solo flute
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Sophia Anastasia, flute
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PROGRAM NOTE
Oiseau Miró, commissioned in 2000 by a consortium of New York City flutists, was premiered by John McMurtery in March, 2001, and released on compact disc by Sophia Anastasia in 2002. The work, lasting approximately three minutes, comprises two simultaneously-unfolding strands of musical information, constructed so that the lines are similar at the beginning, progress to wide divergence in the middle, then gradually merge to unison at the end. The performer is often required to juggle two lines at once, interpolating staccato figures into legato notes of long duration. The work's title is inspired by Joan Miró's painting Femmes, Oiseau, Etoiles (Women, Bird, Stars) in the permanent collection of the Des Moines Art Center.