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Katherine Balch

drip / spin

Subtitlefor flute and piano
Year(s) composed2017, rev. 2019
PublisherSchott Music
InstrumentationMov. II of Music About Glowworms (2016-2017)
Duration6'
PremiereMarch 18, 2018; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C.; Anthony Trionfo, flute • Albert Cano-Smit, piano
CommissionCommissioned by Young Concert Artists, Inc.
Composer note

(Note: drip / spin is the second movement of a two-movement work called Music About Glowworms. These movements can be performed separately, or together as a single work. Purchase movement one, Thread, unfurled, here.)

In drip / spin, these two verbs are represented and enacted musically by the flute and piano. Both drip and spin conjure evocative images for me: while dripping connotes a solemn, delicate, not-quite-steady sound and feeling, spinning connotes playfulness, dizziness, and repetitive cycles. Dripping also suggests an action that is irreversible, while spinning might involve a return to where the cycle began. The flute and piano play with and ponder the myriad of gestures these words suggest.

This piece was revised and abridged following the premiere, please note that the recording is from the premiere performance.

– Katherine Balch

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