B.Ferneyhough ( 1943 ) / Cassandra's Dream Song, for Flute Solo (1970)

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

www.evgeniosanastasiadis.com
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*A few words about the composer, the composition and its plot:
Brian Ferneyhough was born in 1943 and is a British composer. He has been identified with the New Complexity movement which is a label applied primarily to composers who seek a 'complex, multi-layered interplay of evolutionary processes occurring simultaneously in musical material. So in this composition, the depiction of the music and information in the score is very analytical.
This piece consists of 2 pages, one with numbers in each system and another page with letters. Each number is played in what order and combined at the performer's discretion with one of the letters on the adjacent page. Thus the piece is played from two opposite bases, with each score containing very different material.
The piece takes its name from Greek mythology and portrays the conflict between Apollo and Cassandra. Apollo loved her and promised her that if she gave him her love in return, he would teach her to predict the future. Cassandra consented, but did not keep her word once the god gave her the gift. In return, he took away people's faith in the power of her prophecy.
The battle between the oppressed Cassandra is represented by the strong linear sound of the first page a sustained A and elements revolving around the A.
One pole sets the system for creating the structure on the first page, and the other pole "cheats", disobeying the system.
Each number on the first page evolves as if into a vision. At first it is simple and then it becomes more and more complex. According to Christa Wolf's book, "Cassandra, a Novel and Four Essays," Cassandra saw the god Apollo surrounded by bright light in her dream. He then transformed into a wolf and when he realized that he could not overpower Cassandra, he spat in her mouth. Cassandra later learns the meaning of the dream: "if Apollo spits in your mouth... it means you have the gift of foretelling the future. But no one will believe you."
The technical difficulties in the play represent Cassandra's attempt to speak in her own voice again. In fact, it contains such difficult technical parts that even the composer himself admits that they are not technically achievable.

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