Suite grotèsque

For Recorder Trio ATB / TBB / AAT

I wrote Suite grotèsque in 1996 for the Flutes ensemble, which premiered the piece in Hamburg on 25/5/1997. The first movement, Tokatokatta, is an impelling toccata for recorders, essentially 100 variations to the rhythm introduced in the first two bars, and which is thus not easy to forget. During the piece, the harmony changes from a cool, modal quartal harmony to the cheerful, African major-key harmony typical of many of my other recorder compositions. The second movement, Valse triste, is a slow waltz and a mournful moment of calm before the racy finale. The German equivalent of the English saying “to be as pleased as punch” is “er freut sich wie ein Schneekönig”, literally “he is as happy as a snow king”. I don’t know exactly what that is, but his wife, the snow queen, is just as happy, beyond all measure. It is a jubilant, almost tumbling, and very virtuosic scherzo, once again in French style. Just like children romp, rejoice and roll in the snow, so the theme ploughs through the keys and the rapid successions race through the impressionistic pitch range. I really love this piece!

Score and Three Parts.