For: Flute, Clarinet in A, Piano
Composed for Laurel Ann Maurer and premiered at Park City Music Festival in August 2005. It was my first piece after moving west from New England. Proper Motion is a term from astronomy used to describe the apparent motion of an object against the background of the sky. What it has to do with this piece is anybody’s guess. Performers at the premiere were Laurel Ann Maurer on flute, Russell Harlow on clarinet, and John Jensen on piano.
"Proper Motion," for flute clarinet and piano, closed out this portion of the evening. Constructed on ambiguous rhythms and meters and relying on a keen interplay among the three performers, "Proper Motion" is a cleverly thought-out work that demands precise execution and clockwork accuracy on the musicians' part to pull it off successfully.
Joining Maurer and Jensen for "Proper Motion" was Utah Symphony associate clarinetist Russell Harlow. They gave an energetic, vivid reading of the piece that was forceful in its impact. The Deseret Morning News.
If you’re interested, you can request a score at the bottom of this page
Listen now
Complete piece. By the original performers.
1 - Boehm’s Boogie. More than a few tricky fingerings in the flute earned this little sobriquet
2 - Somewhere along the way. Sparse and thoughtful, with one burst at the end.
3 - Fragmentary Evidence. Lines are begun by one instrument and finished by another.