Instrumentation: flute and piano
First Performance: Duo Axis. March 16, 2022, Grant Recital Hall, Brown University.
Duration: 12 min.
Commissioned by and dedicated to Duo Axis (Zach Sheets and Wei-Han Wu) for the project Duo@50.
Axis mundi refers to the point of cosmic contact between Heaven and Earth, a literal or figurative center of the world that connects the celestial with the earthly. It can be symbolized in innumerable ways, from trees, ziggurats, and mountain ranges (real or imagined), to columns and pagodas. My use here of course pays homage to the name of Duo Axis, but also thinks about how the flute and piano might metaphorically serve as conduit and conjuror between worlds. Flutes are the oldest instruments in the world, dating back at least 50000 years, and in many early civilizations were constructed from animal bones for use in religious ceremonies and spiritual worship, serving as an axis mundi through sound. They continue to project an image of mythological purpose and power. The writing in this piece frequently aligns both instruments, with the flute extending the vibrations of the piano, or breathing new life into decaying or denatured resonances. They often intersect as a single unit or sound source, revealing a shadow or a trace, and then as complementary forces that orbit around one another through independent cycles.
Anthony Cheung