Iceland Icicle

Icicle, Aitken

I knew that my flute teacher, Robert Aitken, had recorded in Iceland, although I just read in the Encylopedia of Music in Canada that he had visited almost 25 times by the early 90’s! So it is apt that I had tucked along my copy of Icicle, his playful, descriptive piece written for solo flute.

Having set the recorder some distance away to catch the ambience of Hallgrimskirkju’s spacious acoustics, some of the subtlety and nuance of the wonderful contemporary effects are lost here, however I’m happy with the overall result. In fact, every time I play this piece, I hear something new in it, and this reading of it certainly is no exception!
It was the only icicle I encountered while visiting Reykjavik, although on a spit of land exposed to the raw North Atlantic, there was snow edging the lip of the bunkers where I played golf on the last day…I felt like an icicle by the time I caught the city bus and headed back to the Hotel Fron!

For a chance to hear Icicle performed live here in Toronto, I encourage you to sit in on some of the Flute Class of the Contemporary Showcase next Thursday, November 22nd. The Contemporary Showcase, an annual event, will be held all through next week out on the Danforth.