Michael Fiday is an American composer who has been commissioned by different groups and organizations all over the world. He has also received several awards from many different organizations including the Fromm Foundation and the Barlow Foundation, among others. His past teachers include George Crumb, Louis Andriessen, and Richard Toensing.
Jim & John is a piece written for solo flute, commissioned by the National Flute Association in 2015. The inspiration for the piece came from “a very distinctive style of blues fife and drum music”. In this piece he takes the characteristics of the music that stood out to him (the high frolicky flute lines and the percussive bass drum lines) and implements both ideas into the music. A fun work to watch and listen to, the piece is filled with extended flute techniques and riddled with jazz motifs.
Jim & John
Same Rivers Different is a piece written in 1999 for solo percussion and commissioned by Arnold Marinissen. In his program notes, Friday explains that the piece is “water music, essentially. Some of the music is wet, liquid – some dry as a stone. The pulse like a river – straight, steady, but with abrupt twists, turns. You hear the same music 3 times (but never the same – can’t step in the same stream twice…) followed by an extended afterthought.”(https://michaelfiday.net/work/same-rivers-different/) A beautiful work full of imagery and direction, this piece bounces between several different tuned percussion instruments as the driving force behind the “water” sound.
Same Rivers Different
Five Haiku is a piece written in 2012 for alto flute and guitar. Haiku are a type of Japanese poem that traditionally contain three lines. The lines are then separated and connected by their syllabic grouping: 5-7-5. This five movements of this piece are based on 5 poems by the Haiku Master Matsuo Bashu. Although some movements are incredibly short, others are slightly longer, referencing some of the paradox within Bashu’s pieces themselves. Altogether, the movements create a journey as Fiday sandwiches the three middle pieces between the first “beginning” and the fifth “ending” movement”. Intriguing and captivating, this piece takes us on the voyage of life, if not of our lives, but perhaps the lives of those who have gone before.
Five Haiku
Michael Fiday is a refreshing and inventive composer of our day who is extremely clear in the direction of each of his pieces, as well as stating what story each of them tell. To follow his career or listen to his music, please visit his Website, or follow SoundCloud account.
To anyone who may need it :
I do not own any of the music or videos in this blog post or in any of the other posts that you may find in this blog.
Comments