Melodie

Dutch composer Louis Andriessen (b.1939)‘s Melodie (1972-4) for flute or recorder and piano is a result of Andriessen’s philosophy of self-imposed limitations. Working with extremely restricted melodic material, he explores and subverts the limits of melodic repetition and development through perpetual unison of the instruments unfolding over an extended form. This unison, while persistent, is constantly challenged by timbral fluctuations of minor seconds and microtones, as well as rhythmic variations, creating an austere and nebulous space: an exercise in expectation and endurance for both performers and audience. (Note by Portato Portato)