a song of lament for the voices silenced on September 11, 2001
Instrumentation: flute solo with four versions of accompaniment:
4-part tuba-euphonium ensemble, or string choir, or wind ensemble, or piano
Copyright: 2002
Duration: ca. 9:00
Publisher: Nicolai Music
Price:
$15 for flute solo with piano accompaniment
$20 for flute solo with 4-part tuba-euphonium ensemble (full score & parts)
$30 for flute solo with string choir (full score & parts-vn 1 & 2, va, vc, bass)
$45 for flute solo with wind ensemble (full score & parts)
Other Info:
A video performance of Threnody (with wind ensemble accompaniment) may be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVYPAUxjNvk
The original version, for flute solo with 4-part tuba-euphonium ensemble was premiered with Andrea Artley, flute soloist, accompanied by the professional tuba-euphonium ensemble Symphonia in 2002 at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference held in Greensboro, North Carolina. Andrea Artley, principal flute with “Pershing’s Own”, also premiered the version with string choir accompaniment, during a concert presented as part of the Brucker Hall Concert Series at Fort Myer, in Arlington, Virginia. The Hagerstown Municipal Band, from Hagerstown, Maryland, premiered the wind ensemble version, with Tim Gotwald as flute soloist. All three premieres were conducted by the composer, Neal Corwell. The piano-accompanied version was not created until 2021.
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Threnody is a song of lamentation for solo flute. This work was written to mourn the tragic loss of life brought about by the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks. Threnody should be thought of as a conversation between the flute and the accompanying ensemble. The soloist is a lone voice, mourning, crying out about the inhumanity, injustice, and senselessness of the tragic losses of September 11, 2001. The ensemble reacts to the soloist with murmurs, echoes of like-sentiment, and varied statements of support ranging from soft and subtle to forceful and bold.
The original version, with low brass accompaniment, was designed to emphasize the solitude and "aloneness" of the flute as it laments the terrible losses of that day. The flute also easily stands apart from the dark timbre of the string choir in orchestral version of the work. For the third version, for wind ensemble accompaniment, the composer retained the solitude of the flute by limiting the instrumentation and restricting most instruments to their lower registers. The instruments omitted from the accompanying ensemble (trumpets, saxes, oboes, flutes, percussion) may be thought of as being symbolic of the many voices that were silenced on September 11th.