PAN, 1984, (Revised 1988), for five flute players
Commissioned by the Teatro Comunale di Firenze for the 47th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, 1984
Publisher: Israel Music Institute, 1994, IMI 6981 | Duration: 5 min.
Betty Olivero’s ”Pan” was commissioned in 1984 by the Teatro Comunale of Florence, Italy, and was premiered the same year at the annual Maggio Musicale Festival.
”Pan” presents a musical game for five flutists scattered around the auditorium: the first flutist is on the stage and four others stand in a circle, surrounding the audience. This is an attempt to create a kind of ”musical merry-go-round” effect – on the whole,
the music played by the five musicians is identical, but played with very short delays according to the position of the player. Each player is expected to pass musical signs and hints from his position to the next player, and to react quickly to the ones he receives from others. Thus an acoustic circle is created within the auditorium, similar to a dizzying relay race.