Music by DANIEL DORFF
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Wind for Flute and Piano
Duration: c. 9' DETAILS COMMISSIONED by Ai Goldsmith. PREMIERE by Ai Goldsmith & Miles Graber scheduled for August 6, 2026 at the NFA Annual Convention. PROGRAM NOTES In early 2025, Ai Goldsmith invited me to write a piece celebrating her new "magical ultra-expressive" Muramatsu flute, to be custom-built in the coming year. Having heard Ai perform music from various style periods, and especially my Sonata (Three Lakes), I knew that she's an intuitive musician who breathes, feels, and phrases in the manner that I write; I'd already been hoping for an opportunity to compose for her. Ai's invitation spoke of trying out the new instrument's prototype and discovering the magical flute she'd always dreamed of to best express her musical voice. I'm fascinated by etymology. The words inspiration, expiration, spiritual, conspire, and respiration seem practically unrelated in modern usage, even though each evolved from the Latin word for breath. When we learn to play a wind instrument (or practice yoga), the common origin of these words becomes clear. In planning a composition for Ai and her new instrument (an extension of her own airstream), my first thought was that -spir- or prana is a common bond bridging our musical styles and the new instrument as well. That was more than enough to inspire Wind. Next came planning how to create music that would be meaningful and relevant to the commission, though not counterproductively obvious (no Zauberflöte quotes allowed). Having previously composed a handful of pieces for Flute & Piano, another preliminary thought was how to create a musically spiritual work, distinct from my other Flute & Piano music. Aiming to highlight exquisite phrasing, provide ample room for expressive freedom, and to celebrate the sonority of the new instrument, I began with a long soliloquy and ended with an unaccompanied coda. While the music itself is not programmatic, the concept comes from this unity of breath and spirit.
	last updated June 6, 2026 home