Ross Bauer

flute doubling alto flute, string quintet

commissioned by Mondavi Center for the St. Louis Symphony Chamber Players;
Composer's note:
Both Sides, for flute doubling alto flute, string quartet, and bass, was commissioned by the Mondavi Center for the St. Louis Symphony Chamber Playes as part of their "Egg Head Project". Each faculty composer was assigned as "inspiration' a particular Robert Arneson sculpture around the U.C. Davis campus. The pieces have been composed to be performed in these specific locations.
My choice was to muse upon the relationship between Yin (lying on his side with one eye closed) and Yang (standing up and embodying a much more aggressive attitude). Hence the title. During the soft and sensusual beginning of the piece Yin is clearly evoked, but as the music unfolds Yang comes increasingly to the fore and remains so as the piece comes to it's provisional conclusion.