FLEX

An orchestra is a very complex, fine-tuned, hyper-coordinated social organization. A group of 70 or more individuals join together in coordinated actions that occur on time scales of a tenth of a second or less — no easy feat! When writing FLEX I thought of this integration, which comes from great cooperation, but also of competition, as players, like people in general, struggle for recognition, or even dominance. And in orchestras today this happens at a very high level: nearly all players in a modern orchestra are virtuosos on their instruments. This idea of an orchestra as a dynamic relationship between competition and cooperation, became the basis for FLEX, which is essentially a concerto for orchestra, commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony.


FLEX is in six movements, each exploring, in a different way, this relation between competition and cooperation. In the first movement, In the Spotlight, a ritornello for a large group of players recurs multiple times. Between each recurrence a different instrument is cast into the spotlight. Whereas the material of the ritornello is reiterated almost identically each time, every instrumental solo is entirely different: each instrument presents its own unique material and point of view. The large group maintains uniformity, the soloists strive for difference and individuality.


In the next movement, Fifteen Versions of the Same Phrase, the same melodic fragment is repeated in a wide variety of instruments, from a contra-bassoon, to a piano, to a piccolo, and so forth. There are only minor changes to the melody itself, but the surrounding harmonies and textures are adapted to suit each presentation of the phrase by a different instrument or ensemble. The third movement, Micro-Variations, is essentially a theme and variations, but the theme itself lasts only ten seconds! The variations that follow do not, as in the previous movement, present individual instrumental solos, but rather various configurations within the orchestra, each creating its own identity and color. While the basic structure repeats each time, the surface is a kaleidoscope of quickly shifting orchestral sonorities.


In the fourth movement, Echoes, Canons, and a Minuet, three different musical forms are presented in different instrumental groups, each constantly interrupting the other. A simple neoclassical minuet is presented by the string section, a jubilant canon played by the brass, and a series of echo effects are presented by the remaining instruments, as well as by some solo brass instruments. Despite the fragmentation, the pieces fit together like a brightly colored jigsaw puzzle. In Alone and Together, the fifth movement, six instruments — flute, clarinet, trumpet, harp, piano, and viola — play solos accompanied by only the string section. With the strings creating a sustained backdrop for the entire movement, each solo instrument plays a phrase, a little musical island onto itself. None of the soloists play together until the end, when all six players join together to form an integrated fabric of sound.


The final movement, Group Dynamics, in some aspects resembles the first: solo passages are punctuated by recurrences of a ritornello. But where in the opening movement, each consecutive instrument gets its turn in the spotlight unchallenged, here instruments struggle for the limelight, interrupting each other, sometimes devolving into a chaotic polyphony, but ultimately coming together into a coordinated whole — well, almost. I called the piece FLEX in appreciation of the superhuman control and virtuosity of the modern instrumental player and the superhuman coordination of 70 plus individuals, with a conductor at the helm, coming together to form what we call an "orchestra."


—Sebastian Currier