CONTRA CONCERTS

2021 SERIES / SONIC BEETHOVEN

Recorded live at Holy Trinity Hall

Brisbane, Australia

11 June 2021

Jonathan Henderson, flute

Alex Raineri, piano

Paul Dean

Falling Ever Deeper for flute and piano (2015)

i. “Maelstrom” 0:00’

ii. Void 5:10’

iii. Epiphany 12:05’

I originally intended the title Falling Ever Deeper to be one intimating total melancholy and as an emotional reaction to some immense personal challenges I faced during 2014. But as the piece developed I realised that the phrase Falling Ever Deeper could have positive resonances as well as the perhaps more obvious negative ones. So, the piece in essence gives a fairly accurate account of a journey through crisis, isolation and moving on. The opening movement, Maelstrom, is dominated by the musical scream played by both instruments at the beginning of the movement. Of course this ‘scream’ has emotional overtones, but musically represented my overriding intention to have the flute an equal in the balance between the two instruments throughout the composition of the entire work. The second movement, Void, is an opportunity for the lyrical and timbre possibilities of the flute and the player to be explored and discovered. The last movement, Epiphany, is intentionally more up beat emotionally than the first two. Drama, speed and accuracy of the intricate articulations are the main points of focus.

– Notes by Paul Dean.

Curated by Jonathan Henderson

Presented in association with Southern Cross Soloists

Audio: Jai Farrell

Video: David Spearritt