Portrait of a Flower (2022)

Portrait of a Flower - Reference Recording

Often there are many portraits drawn of flowers that typically portray them either in much detail and realism or in a quite serene and beautiful setting. Often the artists who create these works carefully choose the correct colors and hues in order to perfectly replicate the flower's detail or to give it a more serene and soft quality, which can include colors blending into each other or carefully painting the portrait with the correct brush strokes.

In Portrait of a Flower, I attempt to paint my own portrait using the beautiful and dark tones of the Euphonium and the Tuba, using both the melancholic and expressive capabilities of the horns as well as the technical and fast capabilities with the valved instruments, as well as utilizing dense and complex harmonies. In multiple movements, I explore the different aspects of the portrait drawn.

In Largo con Espressivo, we begin with a very dense and full harmony which represents the serene and calm colors of the flower, like those paintings with more impressionistic influences which seeks to display the flower in a soft and beautiful manner. This goes on until the fermata at the end, acting as a segue to the next section.

We then transition to Scherzando which represents the more vibrant and bright colors of the flower that gives it a very colorful and dynamic feel. It's also here that the horns show off their virtuosic abilities, each getting their own solo that showcases the player's abilities. After, we end on another fermata followed by a brief pause leading to the next section.

Next, we transition the chorale-like and slow Cantabile. Serene. which showcases the horn's expressive abilities and the melancholy of their sonorities. Along with the harmony, this section represents the beauty of the flower itself and the sense of calmness and vigor represented by the flower. Ending with a chorale, the section closes on a very soft and calm D major chord, immediately leading to the last section.

We finally end with a reprise of Scherzando, acting as the lively and familiar ending to the work. Using the same material, the section uses variations of the 2nd movement and builds until the end leading to a Subito tempo, ending the work.

- Composer

Portrait of a Flower - Premiere Recording - UTSA Recital Hall