Nonsense! [Flute Quartet and Narrator]

Nonsense! is an exciting and engaging piece dedicated to Atarah Ben-Tovim, MBE, composed for flute quartet and narrator. With words originally from Edward Lear’s 1846 Book of Nonsense, Orriss has composed six welcoming and enticing movements to accompany the infamous literature, creating a wonderfully theat-rical piece of music.

The parts are equally matched throughout, with no line feeling neglected or always in the spotlight. The alto flute is used consist-ently throughout, but flute 1 must double on piccolo at times, and flute 3 switches onto bass. The harmony used throughout the work is lovely, easy on the ear, and creates a perfect soundtrack to the dialogue performed by the narrator. Additionally, each movement has very clear instructions for tempo and mood, varying from Meanly to a Hypnotic Waltz to Irritato, which will help all the performers to understand the mood and atmosphere intended by Orriss for each movement.

Included with the music are extremely useful performance notes, outlined for each movement, ensuring accuracy within performance; how to execute the trills, actions for the narrator and detailed descriptions of the sound effects performers should be aspiring for. Throughout the six movements, there are occasional requirements for flutter tongue, singing whilst playing, and residual tones. These techniques do not form the groundwork for each movement, but simply add to the texture of the piece, therefore, they are a welcome challenge for performers who are new to extended techniques.

Overall, I believe Nonsense! is a great asset to the flute quartet repertoire, particularly if you are looking for something a little bit quirky, fun, and theatrical, without consuming too much time in your programme.