Fifth in a set of "atmospheric pictures" for varied combinations of solo woodwind and keyboard. A 9/4 time perpetual motion study for piccolo alone, lasting approximately two minutes, this piece employs the Fortspinnung (spinning-forth) technique in developing a basic motif consisting of a rising minor second followed by a falling minor second, notated as quarter notes. Secondary motifs include a rising whole-tone scale arranged in the pattern of a falling major second thereafter rising up an augmented fourth (tritone), as well as a more complex figure expressed in eighth notes. Wide leaps, dynamic contrasts, and successive passages in opposing registers often create an illusion of polyphony in the solo instrument. The piccolo's prestissimo figuration becomes more and more vertiginous, reaching a denouement of intensity before dying away. The painting in the video is "Perseus And The Graiae" by Edward Burne-Jones. You may read through the full engraved score here.            

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