Piccolo / flute, violin, cello, piano - Difficult SKU: OU.9780193868465
Composed by Libby Larsen. Mixed Ensemble. 28 pages. Duration 4'. Oxford University Press #9780193868465. Published by Oxford University Press (OU.9780193868465). ISBN 9780193868465. 12 x 8 inches.
for piccolo or flute, violin, cello, and piano
Larsen states that she chose the instruments for Firebrand for their colour, combination and for their agility. However, rather than a nonstop, wildly virtuosic affair that might be suggested from the title, it is in fact quite the opposite: the piece centres on the image of a flame moving outwards towards its turbulent and flickering edges. She believes that this image also reflects what fine musicians have mastered - the ability to work from a place of centred calm in order to display astonishing virtuosity. A refrain from June Carter Cash's song 'Ring of Fire' is also interwoven throughout the piece, in homage to the famous songwriter who died whilst Larsen was composing the piece.
