Autumn Lute-Song

Su Lian Tan is an inspired and inspiring flutist and composer whose Autumn Lute-Song was commissioned for the Vermont Symphony's autumn tour in 1995. Tan transforms the string orchestra into a giant lute: sometimes jangling or pointed, other times soothingly strummed. The flute is the voice in this extended ballade, singing and expressing poetry while coursing through the landscape. Sometimes evoking the musical flavors of her native Malaysia, the textures, melodies, and harmonies combine in a fresh embodiment of European and Asian modalities. A. Douglas Biggs' piano reduction provides a texture and atmosphere rendering the flute and piano version as a fully satisfying recital work.