Flamingo Rising (2017)
for 6 solo bassoons, antiphonal bassoon choir, and orchestra. 7 min.
Flamingo Rising is a piece written for the Rutgers BACOUSTICS Ensemble, a group of entirely undergraduate bassoons. Dr. Christopher Wickham asked me to write a piece for the group, along with all of his private students in high school and middle school.
Flamingo Rising is a piece that is inspired by the sounds of flamingos. If you have not heard that sound before, it actually sounds similar to a crow on a bassoon reed. I attempted to treat the flamingo sounds and the reed crow as musical sounds. The six soloists throughout the piece play quick little lines, similar to bird calls, while the antiphonal bassoon choir acts like an army of flamingos surrounding the audience. The opening bassoon solo calls out to the woodwinds, who respond with their own bird calls. Finally, after all of the birds have awakened from their sleep, they all begin to soar together.
Commissioned by Dr. Christopher Wickham and RU BACOUSTICS. Premiered by Kynan Johns and the Rutgers Sinfonia Orchestra.
World Record of total Bassoons: 20
