Silver Lining

Silver Lining is a new concerto for flute and wind ensemble. It was commissioned by Peter Warshaw, in memory of his late wife, Lara Barnett, with assistance from the Worldwide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund, Inc. The premiere performance was given at the National Flute Association Convention, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 11 August, 2017, with Jerry Luckhardt’s Medalist Concert Band, soloist Jim Walker, and composer Frank Ticheli as guest conductor.

The first movement, Game, was inspired partly by the affinity of the composer’s son for video games. Ticheli became acquainted with the elements of game-play and used these to create an overall form for the movement. The “Game” opens with a tutorial in which the basic rhythmic devices are introduced as only air or air-like sounds. The movement progresses through various levels of play. The rapidity of the interaction between soloist and ensemble suggests a competition: a fun game with no clear winner in the end.

The second movement serves as a personal tribute to the memory of Lara Bamett, the late wife of the primary patron of the concerto, and someone known personally to Frank Ticheli as a student in one of his classes in the 1980s. At its core is a melodic setting of Sara Teasdale’s poem, A Little While.

A little while when I am gone My life will live in music after me, As spun foam lifted and borne on After the wave is lost in the full sea. A while these nights and days will burn In song with the bright frailty of foam, Living in the light before they turn Back to the nothingness that is their home.

Ticheli set the verse, word for word, to a melodic line for solo flute. He then removed the text, in a style similar to the final movement of Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite. As the solo melody unfolds, a new idea emerges in the ensemble: a paraphrase of the main theme from Debussy’s La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair), the dedicatee’s favorite piece. Debussy’s own melody is woven into the texture of the work, always as a subtle accompaniment to the soloist.

The conclusion serves as a bright and joyous contrast to the second movement. It alternates between motives of ebullient dance-like energy and carefree lyricism. With a pervasive sense of optimism, soloist and ensemble share the spotlight for the finale.

Program Note from The Virginia Wind Symphony concert program, 21 December 2017