About the Music

When first conceptualizing this performance, Duende felt it imperative that the concert (and its music) represent multiple perspectives on marine conservation. When we approached Andrew Gretzinger, Garrett Fuller, and Peter Underhill about writing pieces of music for this performance, we invited them simply to share what compelled them about marine ecosystems, aquatic life, and/or marine conservation as a whole. Read more about these and the other works on the program below.

Allison Loggins Hull, Flock

"Written for a quintet of four flutes and alto flute, Flock was inspired by minimalist composer Steve Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint, a tour de force for multiple flutes. The flutes in Flock represent the flight pattern of a flurry of birds, which move in and out of chaos, harmony and tight togetherness through use of polyrhythms and accents. The multiple flute lines create an energetic atmosphere that utilizes both classical and pop musical idioms." (Program note by Allison Loggins-Hull)

Andrew Gretzinger, Vocalizing

"Very few animals are known to create vocalizations. Whale vocalizations are often called whale "songs" because of their complex melodic structure and form. One whale song can sung for many hours and heard across thousands of miles. Different whale communities have their own identifiable songs and they change and morph when they come into close contact with each other - adding on and making it their own in a sort of collective composition and cultural exchange. Whale songs were first recorded in the 1960s and have since been some of the inspiration for the ever prevalent environmentalism and conservation movements. As the piece progresses, notice how small melodic fragments change over time and interact across the ensemble." (Program note by Andrew Gretzinger)

Garrett Fuller, Aquatic Underdogs

"Aquatic Underdogs is a series of character pieces each representing a threatened or endangered species native to South Carolina. The goal of this piece was to bring awareness to struggling animals that aren’t quite as popular or well known by the public. The first movement embodies the Carolina Pygmy Sunfish, an isolated animal that is extremely vulnerable to development, pollution, and habitat alterations. The three alto flutes become the ever-changing environment that the sunfish (Flute 1) must navigate. The next movement is titled Gopher Frog Growl. These frogs are quite unique as they burrow into gopher holes and emit a low pitch growl as a mating call. The movement features various effects in the lower register to mimic these sounds and gradually rises in range as the frogs emerge from the holes. The last piece is inspired by the movements of the Flatwoods Salamander. These quirky amphibians slither side to side stopping to look around when they sense danger. This movement has a dance like quality with chromatic motion and abrupt stops as these salamanders are exploring their environment." (Program note by Garrett Fuller)

Peter Underhill, Quiver and Quench

"Quiver and Quench was written for a performance of the Duende Flute Quartet at Edisto Beach State Park in South Carolina. The work explores the relationship between the ocean, the creatures that inhabit the waters & shores, and the role that these marine ecosystems play in the lives of human beings.

The work sets three texts, the first being an excerpt from Psalm 104:25-26. This passage is a remarkable ancient Hebrew meditation on the activity teeming within and upon the surface of the ocean. The text is spoken and sung in the Latin Vulgate.

The second and third texts are by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), an early 20th century American Imagist poet. Sea Iris holds a magnifying glass up to the simultaneously fragile and tenacious flowers that populate the shore. These sun-drenched, sand-grit perspectives reflect back the powerful generative and destructive forces of the ocean and the points at which lumbering human activity brushes against these much smaller members of the marine ecosystem.

Finally, the third text presents a stark and prescient image of human beings and the sea in conflict. The Wind Sleepers imagines a chorus of voices driven away by the wind and the waves, foreshadowing in 1916 a world we recognize today in the experiences of climate refugees. They cry “we are stung by the hurled sand and the broken shells. We no longer sleep in the wind – we awoke and fled through the city gate.”

In the shadow of these texts, fragmented musical quotations from a choral work – Never Weather-Beaten Sail – begin to appear. The plaintive tune by C. Hubert H. Parry and text by Thomas Campion hold the promise of welcome and rest for weary sojourners: “Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore. Never tired pilgrim's limbs affected slumber more than my wearied sprite...”

Quiver and Quench attempts to hold these varying perspectives and experiences in tension, probing all the complexities evoked by the single word mare, “the sea.”" (Program note by Peter Underhill)

Brian Eno, Music for Airports

Music for Airports captures what composer Brian Eno describes as "Ambient Music": "An ambience is defined as an atmosphere, or a surrounding influence: a tint. My intention is to produce original pieces ostensibly (but not exclusively) for particular times and situations with a view to building up a small but versatile catalogue of environmental music suited to a wide variety of moods and atmospheres.

Whereas the extant canned music companies proceed from the basis of regularizing environments by blanketing their acoustic and atmospheric idiosyncrasies, Ambient Music is intended to enhance these. Whereas conventional background music is produced by stripping away all sense of doubt and uncertainty (and thus all genuine interest) from the music, Ambient Music retains these qualities. And whereas their intention is to `brighten' the environment by adding stimulus to it (thus supposedly alleviating the tedium of routine tasks and leveling out the natural ups and downs of the body rhythms) Ambient Music is intended to induce calm and a space to think.

Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." (Program note by Brian Eno)

Anže Rozman, Aqua and Ventus

Written for the Traverso flute quartet, this work is comprised of two movements: Aqua (Water) and Ventus (Wind). Rozman describes the first movement as a journey, beginning with raindrops falling softly onto the ground. The raindrops form a small creek which grows to a river, all the while accelerating and growing until the river cascades over a waterfall. The water eventually calms and the movement ends as it started, with falling rain drops.

The second movement begins with gusts of wind produced by the performers. The wind gradually picks up, carrying leaves and butterflies through the air and tickling wind chimes in the distance. In Rozman's performance note for the work, he describes the journey of the piece in detail, but adds in conclusion: "These are my stories for the piece, but please feel free to make up your own. Breath your souls into the music, make it special for you and the audience."