Nola

“I composed this concerto in 1994 and dedicated to the flautist Matthias Ziegler, who premiered it together with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
In “Nola”, beside the ordinary flutes which we already know, I made use of some flutes that you hardly ever hear or see in concert halls. I speak of the Bass-Flute, the Double Bass-Flute, and the Flute with a membrane. This piece is a search of different sound effects which are generated by various flutes and strings orchestra. The piece written as fusion of the Traditional Asian and the Modern European Music. The combination with ethno-music is an association with the Eastern musical aestheticism at the same time. All this leads to a gentle convergence in the process of generating and refining the sound. A slow development of the musical material is achieved with the soloists absolutely in command of all their instruments. Given these elements, I tried to create a dramatic tie, which focuses the different episodes.
The concerto consists of two movements. The first one is slow, dramatic, full of expressive melodies and it reaches its climax in a manifestation of internal beauty. The second movement is fast, artistic, allowing the soloist to prove his skill and his professional abilities. This part is also a big challenge to the orchestra. It must be in harmony with both the soloist and the “Loop-delay”, an instrument used by the soloist to create a rhythm that serves as the basis for the dialogue between flutes and orchestra.
Nola is a Persian word and means gentleness and minute changes of tone, the embellishment of tone – but, on the other hand, the sad voice of music, the mournful melody, the groaning of music too. As mentioned before, I have made use of ethnic material from the East. Using such materials, you have to obey certain rules. When a composer wants to combine this sound with the western one, one of the most difficult problems will arise. His music has to match two different sets of rules. This combination and the rare consonance of both stringed instruments and flutes gives the listener the opportunity to enter the magic world of this kind of music and enjoy it.”
(Benjamin Yusupov)