Ran, S :: East Wind

East Wind

Ran, S

Shulamit Ran presents East Wind for flute alone.

"Ran’s music contains traits from both Shapey’s compositional style and the New Complexity, a genre marked by atonality, complex and ametric rhythmic notation, extended techniques, microtonality, disjunct melodic contour, and detailed articulation realized through acoustic instruments and live performers. East Wind (1988) for solo flute embodies many of these characteristics in addition to a high sense of drama. The title appears to reference the Biblical 'east wind' of the Old Testament, a probable source of inspiration.

Both Ran’s East Wind and the Biblical'“east wind' imply this juxtaposition of tragedy and epic content. In the Bible, the east wind first appears in the Book of Genesis as the subject of the Pharaoh’s premonition dream. In the Book of Exodus, this premonition is realized as the powerful east wind brings the plague of locusts and parts the Red Sea. Ran’s East Wind exploits the full range of the flute (B3-D#7), employs extended techniques such as pitch bends, key clicks, and the percussive 'spit tongue' articulation, and contains complex, non-metered rhythms with angular melodies that push the technical capabilities of the performer." 

- Amanda Cook; Between the Ledger Lines.