Includes score and parts.
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Review from Percussive Notes (2021):
Syrinx8
Thomas Albert
One of the most significant pieces of flute
repertoire of the early 20th century is a solo by Claude Debussy titled “Syrinx.” Suiting Debussy’s impressionist style, it gives the soloist significant room for interpretation and emotion: a true rubato. Thomas Albert took this beautiful solo and added a chamber accompaniment of clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone, piano, several triangles, and a tub of water to present “Syrinx8.”
The work is governed by the flutist, who has complete control of the amount of rubato and of the synchronized arrival points. Thus, the only technical challenge to this piece is to completely abandon the sense of strict, metered time that we have trained for years to hone, and instead surrender almost all our interpretation of tempo to another performer. None of the individual parts are overly difficult. The vibraphone part is seemingly the simplest, only incorporating a simple melody of basic rhythms.
Gradually, the accompanying players leave their primary instrument and join the percussionist around a container of water. Here, they each grab a triangle and play it while dipping it in and out of said container, introducing a modern sound technique that complements the classic work nicely.
While some purists may not like this approach to this piece of repertoire, others will find it an interesting adaptation that incorporates the chamber traditions of modern-day ensembles and unique sound techniques that percussionists employ. Albert has written a tasteful amendment to Debussy’s iconic work. His gestures and echoes are carefully written so that nothing gets in the way of the prominent flute voice. Any ensemble with this instrumentation should give this work a try.
—Kyle Cherwinski
