Description
Echos for piccolo and piano was commissioned by Torin Olsen for his performance in the piccolo performance competition of the 2006 National Flute Association convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Th e work begins with a soft and angelic prelude that develops through both extreme ranges of the piano and the low, lush beautiful resonance of the piccolo. At the end of the prelude, a rhythmic dance starts to pulse in the time 17/16 while much of the other material stays in 3/4 or 4/4. As the many rhythms play juxtaposed with each other, small two beat fanfares interrupt the energy, bringing the focus back to a single pulse. A joyous dance incorporating the previous fanfares, metered in 2/4 acts as the center of the work. As it winds down reminiscent echos of the prelude are heard as the music is unsure if it wants to fully recapitulate into the music of the beginning or continue to dance. It decides to do both, giving the opening material a dance like connotation. Echos is scored for piccolo and piano and lasts 4 minutes. Echos is the antithesis of a new concerto for piccolo and orchestra commissioned by the McKeesport Symphony Orchestra and music director Bruce Lauffer which was be premiered in May 2007.
