Performed by Iwona Glinka, Flute and Naomi Alter, harp, recorded shortly after the World Premiere performance at the National Flute Association Convention in San Diego in 2016. Artwork by Kay Lipton.
Introspective Blues #1 score and parts are now available for purchase from SilverWinds Publishing by clicking on the link below or by pasting it into your browser:
http://www.silverwindspublishing.com/arrangements/introspective-blues-1

The blues can reflect many moods. Introspective Blues#1 for flute and harp starts out reflecting the state of mind of a person thinking a lot about “why things are the way they are” but not ready to express it outwardly. As the work unfolds, our “hero” gains more courage, and by the ending, we hear the outward expression that was suppressed initially.  Many thanks to Iwona Glinka, who brought the flute part to life and to my wife, Naomi Alter, who played the harp, which provided the harmonic and rhythmic drive to the work.  Thanks also to Michail Travlos, who did the excellent recording and to Kay Lipton for the inspiring and evocative artwork. For the video of this performance, please click on https://youtu.be/zvgqfUmCY80
For more information on Introspective Blues #1 and other works by Aaron Alter, please visit https://aaronalter.com/compositions .

Introspective Blues #1 for flute and harp

Introspective Blues #1 for flute and harp (2016)

Aaron Alter is a composer from Carlsbad, California. His music is published by Universal Edition and Silverwinds Publishing. Aaron calls his new music his "New Beginning" because it is an exploration of a new style and energy that defies categorization.    

A native of Chicago, Aaron Alter's musical background was a product of the rich musical life that he found growing up in the Windy City. Aaron received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, where he studied piano with Frances Larimer and Gui Mombaerts, and composition with Lynden DeYoung and David Noon. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Princeton University, where he studied with Milton Babbitt and James K. Randall.  

Aaron’s new music was first performed in 2015, with the performance of “Homage to Josquin” for two flutes, piano, electric bass and drum set by The New Mexico Performing Arts Society in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Homage to Josquin” received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 American Prize competition for Chamber Music Composition.  

Works such as "Solar Rays" and "Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry" defy genres and exist in Classical ensemble and Jazz Big Band versions. Both the classical piano trio (piano, violin and ‘cello) and Jazz Big Band versions of “Solar Rays” have received Silver medals at the Global Music Awards. Aaron’s Introspective Blues #1 for Flute and Harp has become his most popular work, with over 16,100 plays on SoundCloud and over 5,200 plays on Jango Internet Radio. Aaron’s music has been featured on the albums “One Minute”, “Two Minutes”, “Gimel” and “Daleth”, by the flutist Iwona Glinka on the Sarton and Phasma Music labels, all of which have won Silver Medals at the Global Music Awards.  

Aaron has received two commissions in the past two years for choral works with an instrumental ensemble from The New Mexico Performing Arts Society.  The first commission, “Together We Create and Sing! (inspired by the music of Franz Joseph Haydn”) was a semi-finalist at the 2018 American Prize competition for Choral Music Composition and received a Silver Medal at the August 2019 Global Music Awards.  The latest commission, “Lo Lanu Ha-Shem” (a setting of Psalm 115) received a Silver Medal from the March 2019 Global Music Awards.  

Aaron is a regular contributor of compositions to the repertoire of the flutist Iwona Glinka, the pianist and Steinway Artist, Susan Merdinger, the pianist Vania Pimentel, The New Mexico Performing Arts Society and Composers Concordance in New York.  

Aaron also serves as an Executive Board Member of the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts.

Introspective Blues #1 for flute and harp (2016)

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