Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand for flute and 'cello was a commission from the New York based duo Pieces of Eight, comprised of flautist Martha Cargo and 'cellist Ben Larsen. The duo commissioned ten original works for performances in New York and the surrounding areas for the 2017/18 season. 

The work is inspired by the infamous magician Houdini. The work appears with the mysterious quote by Houdini in the subtitle:

Some say I do it this way,
others say I do it that way,
but I do it the other way. 

The work optionally includes the statement of the quote at the outset of the work by the flute player and quickly works into a rhythmic frenzy. The musical material is mainly composed of small motives that are combined in different ways to create longer melodic material.