Ruah
Judith Shatin
About this work:
Ruah, originally scored for flut eand chamber orchestra, was recast for flute and piano by the composer, and was premiered by Rnee and Cynthia Siebert at the KAnsas city NATIONAl Flute Assocation conference.
Ruah is a Hebrew word that translates as air, wind, or breath. In Cabalistic mysticism it also refers to the part of the soul that mediates between the body and the spirit. Both the colloquial and spiritual meanings are at work here. The images of breath and air inform the timbral stretching of the flute's sound, with the flutist using the voice and its breath flow in conjunction with played tones. The image of the wind is captured particularly in the swirling lines of the first movement, marked Soaring, and in the third, titled Impassioned. The second movement, Tender emerges from a dynamic stillness, with far-flung registral limits, and large internal spaces. Its three-part organization mirrors the larger-scale three movement plan of the entire work. The final movement is a more furious spin through space, and reflects a more tightly wound, assertive character than the first two movements. However, it also refers to the preceding movements. The spiritual reference is embodied in the role of the flute as it variously springs forth from and mediates between the instruments of the ensemble.
Version: Flute/piano
Year composed:
Duration: 00:00:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Keyboard plus One Instrument
Instrumentation: 1 Flute, 1 Piano