Haiku No. 3

Haiku no. 3 for solo flute, composed by Marcel Chyrzyński with a dedication to Natalia Jarząbek, alludes to the original Japanese form. The manner of performance of the individual fragments, as well as the mood being built by the composer, are clearly specified here. For this reason, the performer has little space for emotional over-interpretation of the work, which in itself arouses various emotions in the listener. The composer creates contrasting images based on the idea of an endless phrase and of constant striving in search of the harmonic tonic, emphasizing the ceaseless flow of time.

The performer is able to convey this intention only through the use of permanent breathing, which permits all manner of disturbance in the musical process to be avoided. The individual phrases, separated by a meaningful silence, in the end find a resolution of the harmonic tensions they have built up. The composer’s reflection is contained in the work’s final fragment, built using an endless series of sextuplets that accelerates, proceeding through various tonalities and harmonies, to find its end on the note D, which appears to be – as before – a resolution of the harmonic tension.

The composer does not, however, finish his thought there, but rather adds yet another arpeggio chord that gives the impression of a question mark, of something unresolved, perhaps symbolizing the impossibility of predicting the future based on analysis of our surrounding reality and of the time inexorably passing by...