Bright Air/Brilliant Fire. (Woodwinds).

Bright Air/Brilliant Fire for flute (alto) and tape, by Diane Thome. C.F. Peters Corp. (373 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016), 2001. 14pp., $12.95 (score and flute part). DAT tape available from publisher. Performance time eleven minutes.

Composed on commission from Sigma Alpha Iota (music fraternity for women), this work evokes vivid images of "bright air and brilliant fire." Inspired by a quotation from the ancient Greek philosopher and poet Empedocles, this composition utilizes computer-generated sounds as a backdrop for the solo flute line.

The work is divided into three sections, the first of which is extremely "atmospheric." One can imagine the wind--at first gentle, later rushing in gusts through mountain canyons or on the ocean shore--while the flute arches smoothly across wide pitch intervals or creates points of sound "like distant stars."

In the second section the flute ignites sparks of tone through rapid tonguing, tremolos, staccatos and trills as the tape sounds ebb and flow, gradually evolving from one harmony to the next.

The third section adds the sound of rushing water to the mix. And at the end, the flutist moves from C flute to alto flute, a new, deep timbre, as the tape sounds glissando downward and diminish.

Technical requirements for the flutist include rapid triple-tonguing, flutter-tonguing, "unpitched wind sound" and tremolos, as well as stamina for the relentless staccato tonguing of the middle section. Accurate coordination with the tape will require practice with a stopwatch and very careful listening for the subtle changes of harmony and/or patterns of the electronic sounds. The final effect is a pleasing and evocative blend of tones, reflecting the ever changing yet repetitive sounds of the natural elements, air and fire. Reviewed by Martha Rearick, Tampa, Florida.