COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 24, 2009) — Roger Martin, Tennessee Tech University professor of flute, will present his annual faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in TTU’s Wattenbarger Auditorium.

Joy Rachor will accompany Martin on the piano; James Lotz will join on the bassoon.

The program will consist of four pieces: J.S. Bach’s “Sonata in G minor for flute and continuo;” Jonathan Dove’s “The Magic Flute Dances” concerto for flute (with piano reduction of the orchestral score); Ken Benshoof’s “Spindrift” for piccolo and piano; and Jean-Michel Damase’s Sonate en Concert for flute, bassoon and piano.

English composer Dove composed his concerto in 2000 for Emily Beynon, principal flutist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. She told the composer she loved the music of Mozart and in this work he takes his inspiration from themes of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” setting them in a contemporary, almost Broadway-ish style both rhythmically and harmonically.

Benshoof says his title refers to “the spray that blows off the top of waves when the wind is up. I chose the title not because it necessarily describes the piece, but rather because thinking of small boats on the open water yields some interesting relations to the music.”

The music of French composer Damase has been described as “accessible without being lightweight; unabashedly melodic, with a distinct delight in ‘obsessive’ motifs; tonal, though, paradoxically, harmonically complex; rhythmically surprising; playful; respectful of tradition and form; and always superbly crafted.”

This recital is free and open to the public.

--Karen Lykins
This information posted 24 August 2009