Cassandra's Dream Song

Cassandra's Dream Song (1970), by Brian Ferneyhough, for solo flute, is one of those pieces that helped redefine the instrument's limits. Initially considered unplayable, it was first performed by Pierre-Yves Artaud at the Royan Festival (a French contemporary music festival, active from 1964 to 1973, which featured many premieres, later replaced by the Rencontres Internationales d'Art Contemporain in La Rochelle). With the evolution of instrumental technique, this piece has now become part of the flute's solo repertoire.

Composed of only two very dense, large pages, the score is open. Each page contains several sections that the performer must play by alternating between the two sheets (one from the first and one from the second). However, on the first sheet, the order given must be followed, proceeding from 1 to 6, while the sequence of sections on the second is free.

Thus, any narrative effect is subverted, but not completely, thanks to the fixed sequence of the first sheet. While inheriting some expressive modes from Boulez-style serialism, Ferneyhough is often surprising because, in the melodic line, he moves from extremely complex moments to almost lyrical episodes, centered on a few notes, up to moments in which Debussy-like atmospheres and even almost tonal phrases emerge.

Flute: Evgenios Anastasiadis Live Recording , Concert Hall, Folkwang Universität der Künste July 2021

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