For Flute and Classical Guitar
Duration: 12 Minutes | Commissioned by Chamber Music America
As Cores de Tomie
PROGRAM NOTES
As Cores de Tomie is a collection of four songs, scored for flute and guitar, inspired by works and concepts of Japanese-Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake (1913-2015).
The first movement, “Shades of Blue,” is a wandering, melancholy waltz, a sentiment that I often find expressly associated with this particular color.
In contrast, “Imperfect Geometry” is inspired by Ohtake’s giant red sculptures, which are part of the busy and vibrant landscape of São Paulo. Unlike the explosiveness of the second movement, the third movement, “Watercolors,” offers a broader palette of sounds and colors.
The final song in the suite, entitled” The Starfish” (or “The Ocean’s Star”), concerns a yellow sculpture that stood at the top of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (Rio de Janeiro’s most famous lagoon); from 1985-1900. The song is supposed to summon the sounds, colors, and characteristics of that particular era in my native city.
MOV. I: Shades of Blue
MOV. II: Imperfect Geometry
MOV. III: Watercolors
MOV. IV: The Starfish