Shadows IV – Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra
Robert Aitken

This concerto is a response to a request from the Neuchâtel Chamber Orchestra for a work based on indigenous North American music. It has been performed eight times with Isabelle Schnöller, principal flute of the Chamber Orchestra of Basel as soloist, whom I would recommend for the National Flute Association performance. The opening of the work is an exploration of the performing space to show the audience that sound changes under various conditions as in the wild. The soloist moves about the stage playing and dancing ultimately bringing the orchestra in one section at a time. The last to arrive is the conductor who brings order to this gentle chaos. At this moment and only this we hear a Sioux prayer to the buffalo. But it is not simply a prayer; it was a worshipping of all that the buffalo represents: food, clothing, shelter, etc. even changes in the weather. The piece moves full circle to show the many capabilities of the flute against the continually changing colours of the orchestra and closes with the soloist leaving the stage playing the first known native melody to be recorded by a Jesuit priest in 1674.

Summary

Shadows IV is based on a Sioux Indian melody with a flute soloist who moves through the performing space exploring the sonic possibilities. It displays the many capabilities of the flute against the continually changing colours of the strings.