Out of The Desert

Out of The Desert is written for an unusual combination of instruments. It takes it’s primary inspiration from Indian music, with use of the Bansuri flute, sitar and pakhawaj (two-headed drum). The sitar is the main solo instrument in the piece, with a geographically contrasting accompaniment from the choir and string section. Repeated notes and wide-range scales are used to take advantage of the sitar’s characteristic sympathetic resonance.

The central section consists of a Bansuri flute solo, played in an improvisatory nature. The simple string accompaniment merely provides a harmonic backbone, while the tambourine and pakhawaj rise from nowhere to add an unexpected rhythmical element. The instruments then crescendo back to the first theme. This is heard twice more, with the upper string section greatly thickening the texture the second time. The piece ends with a single low and resonant note on the sitar.

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