Eileen Gilligan Flute and Alex Raineri Piano – Suite No. 2 Aria

Aria is from Suite No 2 for flute and piano by Polish composer Lukasz Wos. He was born in 1967 and has written flute and piano Sonatas, a flute Fantasie some flute duos and other chamber works. His works have a beautiful romantic feel to them although he seems also to use atonality. There is not much information about him around. I came across this by accident as I do a lot of listening and heard a recording of a player performing this and loved it and his playing also, so I transcribed it for me.It is impossible to buy as the site is in Polish and wouldn’t seem to sell it to me. I hope you enjoy. It is absolutely gorgeous.Aria from the Suite appealed to me for a number of reasons apart from being so beautiful melodically. It hovers in the middle register which can be thin and uninteresting on the flute. The middle register relies on relaxation , harmonics and the speaking point of the flute resonating to bring beauty to the tone. I find melodies like this so beneficial as development tools and warm ups. Also, it was great to bring my voice and the flute together as one and my tone reflects this I feel. It is a great feeling when the flute and you are one and it is ringing with ease. Takes a lot of work but worth it. I spent quite a bit of time using harmonic fingerings for notes like C, D etc and also singing and playing the melody. The result I feel gave a depth and sincerity to the expression which can’t be achieved by blowing the flute. It is really noticeable if resonance and speaking point have been achieved in soft playing as the tonal quality will still sing and ring if the control is there. If not ,of course it will be thin and on the dull side. You will hear your tone all around you and feel the flute vibrating under your fingers. No effort required speaking point and harmonics do it all for you. All the player has to do is decide what they are going to say musically.

All the Melodious Studies are excellent for this piece as they are mainly in the low to middle register and by the time you have finished them you will have a woping tone there. In particular though 13,14,11,19,1,2,will be excellent for carrying a beautiful tone through a phrase. Every note is important and always going somewhere and saying something musically. It is important for the player to remember and think about this . Too often we can get caught up in virtuosity and forget what is really important and that is the music and expression. This is what artistry is all about not fingers flying at the speed of sound.This is why a piece like this is so good to have on your music stand, to remember no matter what we are playing the music and expression must always be at the forefront , even if it is the Ibert Concerto

This Aria is a classic Moyse case of “placing every note like a fine crystal glass on the dining table ” and also not playing with an “ugly nasal tone”. It requires a vocal approach and the nasal cavity to be open for resonance. You can test this on No 2 Melodious study variation. If the player is not resonating it will sound dull, thin and almost childish in character.

There is a video on the website in the guides as well as a sound file and you will hear clearly what I mean. Here is a link to Moyse playing No2. It is the quality of the middle register notes like E and D you need to listen to. This is where the fundamental third harmonic is crucial if you want that tonal quality.

The best example I have of resonance, the speaking point and harmonics in tune is this link below. It will never be surpassed in my view.

J.S. Bach Largo . William Bennett – the middle register is full of the fundamentals and that is why it sounds so rich and resonant.

All the harmonic exercises to do are in the Foundation Tools section.

Tone Development Through Interpretation plays a role here as well as it is the rounding tool in the players development. Foundation Tools develop and define the tone, Melodious Studies educate the player and the Tone Development refines and opens up a whole new world to those who want to walk through the door. Play at least 3 of these a day, one from each register.

Here is the performance that inspired me to play this piece. He feels this melody beautifully. I loved it.

Enjoy, its wonderful.

My version is different as I have a fantastic pianist, Alex and wanted him to shine also so I adapted the piece to suit a joint performance for both of us. Attached are both versions. The missing notes in the original compostion is D# both times. Mine gives the pianist a chance to shine.

Here is a backing track for you, its is cluncky and rather unmusical but it really helps with colour if you can hear the harmonic progession underneath you.