Garden of Iniquitous Creatures
(2016)
Mixed sextet:
flute, piccolo
clarinet, bass clarinet
violin
cello
percussion
piano
Garden of Iniquitous Creatures was commissioned by De Doelen for Eighth Blackbird.
REVIEWS
In performance: Des Moines’ Civic Music Presents Eighth Blackbird
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC UNBOUNDED – PART II
Winner of the NFA Newly Published Music Competition
Garden of Iniquitous Creatures
Ned McGowan ©2016 Donemus
American flutist and composer Ned McGowan is based in Amsterdam. As a flutist, he is well known for his incredibly creative contrabass flute performances. As a composer, he has been exploring connections between diverse genres and improvisational elements. Garden of Iniquitous Creatures features McGowan’s brilliant and intense style. In this piece, McGowan combines energetic small musical cells under a constantly evolving and engaging rhythmic pace. After many permutations, this 12-minute tour de force ends with an electrifying, samba-like jam session.
Garden of Iniquitous Creatures was commissioned for the ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and it is scored for Pierrot ensemble and percussion. (A Pierrot ensemble consists of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano—players should also be able
serve as doublers—and is named after Pierrot Lunaire, the seminal work written by Shoenberg for this instrumentation.)