for solo flute (2020)
YouTube (interview + performance)
score available from
Wise Music
program note
This flute solo was commissioned by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra for their Principal Flautist, Teresa Rabe, as part of their Australian Miniseries.
On 3 August 2020, the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter all came into alignment in Melbourne’s evening skies. I walked out the back door, looked up and there they were in plain sight. It’s an unusual formation and a distinct event for general public to experience. There’s a common expression – ‘when Saturn is in line with Jupiter’ metaphorically suggesting something improbable that will either never (or rarely) take place. Of course Saturn is actually always in line with Jupiter – it’s just a line between two points. But throw Earth’s mysterious Moon into the equation and alignment really is rare. This flute solo was written in contemplation of that alignment while under stage 4 curfew restrictions in Melbourne. We can’t walk out the front gate after 8pm – but we can still look up into the evening sky and marvel at the Universe.