Needle in Haystack
Looking for articles and reviews about music for wind instruments in the BBC Music Magazine is a time-consuming business Not having much time I was delighted to find the word 'flute' on page 70 of the November issue. It was in a fascinating article about the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (b.Helsinki 1952). There was much superfluous stuff about her being female of course - the world of the media can't just call people composers and leave it at that.
I followed the links and listened to Noa Noa for flute and electronics. As the article said, her music is certainly 'imaginative and spellbinding'.
There are four recordings on YouTube. It is possible for the flautist to both play the piece and activate the electronics. Alternatively an assistant can do the activating, leaving the player free to interpret the score. I wonder which is the most satisfying, and would love to hear opinions from performers.
The performance by Jesse Tatum uses an assistant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50T6EiornP4
Emma Resmini does the whole job herself, seamlessly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5VKG8lQwB4
My next thought was 'Do we actually stock this piece?' and - yes - there it is on our website! Satisfaction all round!
June Emerson
