Froom, D :: Petali Di Gelsomino

David Froom presents Petali Di Gelsomino for flute and string orchestra, here in score form. Parts available on request.

From the composer:

Petali di Gelsomino ( Jasmine Flower Petals ) was commissioned for Fudan University s 100th anniversary, a date that coincided with the 25th anniversary of Fudan s affiliation with St. Mary s College of Maryland (where I have taught since 1989). The concert at Fudan (in Shanghai) featured the Italian flutist Giuseppe Nova with string group from the US, Italy, and China. To honor the three country involvement, I chose to center my work on the Chinese folk song Jasmine Flower. In its simplest, pared down form, this song is the prominent unifying theme in Puccini s opera Turandot. That version of the folk song sits alongside a fuller, more elaborate melody widely known in China, though both versions are heard there.

To begin my composition, I broke the melody into motivic fragments (as if picking petals from this Jasmine flower), using these to create a variety of textures for strings and flute. To end the work (after the flute cadenza), I reassembled the petals into the full flower: the Puccini version is heard in string harmonics, followed by the full version of the melody in the flute, played over a shimmering string accompaniment.