Carter Scrivo in Vento for Flute Alone

Carter Scrivo in Vento for Flute Alone

Carter Scrivo in Vento for Flute Alone

Programme Notes by Elliot Carter

This solo flute composition is a tribute to the esteemed flautist, Robert Aitken, and draws inspiration from a poem by Petrarch, who resided in and around Avignon from 1326 to 1353. The piece skillfully employs the flute to convey contrasting musical ideas and registers, reflecting the paradoxical essence of the poem.

Its debut took place on July 20, 1991 (coincidentally on Petrarch’s 678th birthday) at the Ville Rencontres de la Chartreuse of the Centre Acanthes, as part of the Festival of Avignon in France. The premiere was performed by Robert Aitken, the flautist to whom the composition is affectionately dedicated.

Robert Aitken

Robert Morris Aitken CM (born August 28, 1939) is a Canadian composer and flautist. He began his career as a teenager playing in various orchestras, becoming the youngest principal flautist in the history of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1958 at age 19. In 1971, he shifted to a highly successful solo career. Aitken has performed as a soloist with major symphony orchestras across North America, Europe, and Asia and has recorded over 40 commercial albums.

Born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Aitken has played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, CBC Symphony Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Co-Artistic Director of New Music Concerts in Toronto. Aitken’s classical and contemporary music recordings, including collaborations with eminent harpist Erica Goodman, are released on BIS Records. He received training from notable flautists, such as Nicolas Fiore, Marcel Moyse, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Andre Jaunet, Severino Gazzelloni, and Hubert Barwahser.

From 1988 to 2004, Aitken taught at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. He was also a former faculty member at the University of Toronto (1960–1975) and the Shawnigan Summer School of Arts (1972–1982) and served as the director of advanced studies in music at the Banff Centre from 1985 to 1989.