Program Notes

Thea Musgrave is a Scottish composer living in the United States whose works range from large-scale operas to intimate compositions for small ensembles, such as the Impromptu No. 1 for Flute and Oboe. Musgrave's compositions were first brought to a wider audience by the British Broadcasting Corp. and through performances at the Edinburgh International Festival. Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of drama have made Musgrave one of the most respected and exciting contemporary composers. She has received many honors, including two Guggenheim Fellowships and the Koussevitsky Award, and has recently accepted a position as distinguished professor at Queens College in New York. Impromptu No. 1 was written in 1967 for Janet Craxton and Douglas Whittaker. The composer describes the piece as follows: "It is a short work and, as its title implies, lighthearted. The music grows out of a very short idea heard at the outset. Each time this motive returns there is a different continuation. The final coda, marked 'as fast as possible,' brings the work to a virtuosic close."

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