Cherise D. Leiter, Composer

Vignettes (2017)

Medium: flute and flute/alto flute with hand-held percussion

Length: ~6.5 min

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Vignettes, commissioned by Naomi Seidman and Cristina Ballatori, is a set of miniatures for two flutes and hand-held percussion depicting three easily imagined scenes. As the title indicates, this piece was very visual for me. I could clearly see three different snapshots--not stories, really, but images. The three are united by a very strong sense of rhythmic drive, but in all other ways are quite different from each other.

I. ...and then I said, and then she said...: If you have ever seen two friends (probably females) in a very animated conversation, both very excited, there is this constant back and forth, and even occasionally saying the same thing at the same time. I myself have had several of these types of conversations with close friends, and that is exactly what the two flutes are representing.

 

II. Sunday on the Couch: This is exactly what the title describes: outside--rainy, inside--lazy, relaxed, a book, a cup of hot chocolate, cozy socks... Rhythmically swung, with an ostinato in the alto flute, the first flute interjects the occasional jazzy riff.

 

III. The Wallflower: There is always that one person who just doesn't quite fit in with the prescribed program, who feels the need to break out of the constraints imposed upon him or her. This movement is intended to be comical, and also to explore the fun that can be had with other than the typical 'pretty' flute sounds.

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Price: $12