About the creation

Five Pieces for flute were written in 1956 and belong to the composer's middle period. They are free in form and tonality and each is an entity in itself. The first of these pieces is made up of two recitatives on the outside and a middle section with symmetrical rhythms. The second is an improvisation. The third - Scherzo - has a basic unity of structure: as a contrast to the regular beat of the main section where lively rhythms include a bird-song quotation, there is a quiet, peaceful interlude. The fourth piece is an intense, monophonic Romance. A cadenza bearing a certain relationship to the recitatives of the first piece, introduces the fifth. It is virtuosic, reminiscent of the hora in its dance-like character and ends with a stretto. The work was first performed by Uri Shoham in 1957. Approximate duration: 10 minutes