First in a set of "atmospheric pictures" for varied combinations of solo woodwind and keyboard. Entitled "Die Jugendstilfassade", meaning "The Art Noveau Façade", this miniature for flute and piano opposes passages of suave jocularity with those of great dramatic intensity, sections very thickly voiced with those transparent and even sparse, all within a web of intricate and tonally-elusive hyperchromatic counterpoint. The flute's initial melodic statement, unfurling organically from a fundamental motive, soon undergoes a transformative development, taking on a more ornate and disjunct form like the asymmetrical reliefs that grace an Art Nouveau exterior. The piano, with its quasi-whole tone and quasi-Lydian gestures and its stepwise voice-leading, almost assumes the part of a tutti contrasting with the solo flute. The center of the miniature elaborates on a contrasting, yearning melodic idea first stated in the piano and immediately thereafter taken up by the violin, ultimately preparing the coda's intricate reprise of the opening idea. Feel free to follow along with the full engraved score here. The painting in the video is "The Spider" by Nikolaos Gyzis.          

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