This is a short work for flute and viola, written in 2002 and first published by Composers Edition in 2017. Commissioned by the English Symphony Orchestra to commemorate its 21st anniversary season, this two-and-a-half-minute miniature draws on influences from Morocco, with ‘fleeting fragments of voices and dance calling across the air’. The piece opens with an extended flute solo, which features pitch bends and establishes an arabic-influenced scale with repeated patterns in a cadenza-like display. The viola enters with dotted-rhythm double stops, giving a strong rhythmic pulse and a more dance-like feel. The music then fragments, with a 5/16 time signature providing an enticingly irregular pulse. The two instruments weave around each other as the melodic fragments are developed playfully throughout the remainder of the work. This is an enjoyable miniature, suitable for advanced players, which would fit well into a recital programme for this unusual but effective combination of instruments.
Carla Rees
Al Jalala was commissioned by the English Symphony Orchestra as part of a series of hors d’oeuvres pieces to celebrate their 21st anniversary season. It recalls fleeting visions of Moroccan voices and dances calling across the evening air.
Performance duration (approx): 2'40
