The Firebird’s Feather for flute solo is written at request of Michael Matsuno, the first performer of the piece. The piece is inspired by the legend of the Firebird (from Russian fairy tales) and partially by its interpretation by Igor Stravinsky in his famous ballet score “The Firebird” (specifically, by the overtone glissandos in strings from the Introduction to the ballet). In all versions of this fairy tale, once upon a time, a simpleton is seeing at night a magic bird which leaves behind its feather. The simpleton picks up and brings the feather to the Tsar, who gives him an impossible task to catch the magic bird. That’s the moment in the story which I am capturing – the vision of the firebird, who drops her feather, which lightens up the darkest night. To mimic a magical bird, the piece makes use of many extended performance techniques, and at some point, the performer is asked to articulate certain vowels and syllables mimicking bird’s chirping (ti-ki-ti-ta, phi-u) and pronouncing English transliteration of Russian words for “firebird” (zharptitsa) and “firebird’s feather” (pɛrɔ zharptitsy), later diminished to phonemes.

The Firebird’s Feather for flute solo is written at request of Michael Matsuno, the first performer of the piece. The piece is inspired by the legend of the Firebird (from Russian fairy tales) and partially