Canto for flute is a reworking of a piece for flute and mixed choir called Ophelia drowning which I wrote in 1996. That piece set some of Gertrude's lines in Act IV, scene 7 of Shakespeare's Hamlet which described Ophelia's suicide:

"There is a willow grows aslant a brook . . ."

These lines are set as a strophic refrain which is heard three times - first in disjointed and muttered fragments, and more fully upon each subsequent repetition as the terrible truth sinks in.

In Ophelia drowning, the flute provides a Prologue, two linking antistrophes between the refrains, and an Epilogue. This structure (borrowed from that used by ancient Greek dramatists for the choruses in their tragedies) is also that of Canto for flute: Prologue, Strophe 1, Antistrophe 1, Strophe 2, Antistrophe 2, Strophe 3 and Epilogue. The Epilogue will be recognised instantly, being a varied reprise of the Prologue; and in between these two there are recurring shapes which will, however vaguely, be recognised as elements of a varied refrain. But since the choral interjections of Ophelia drowning have now been absorbed into the flute part, and there is no physically obvious contrast between sections, the piece comes across as a continuous, keening lament - starting hesitantly and in shock, and gaining energy and intensity as the narrative unfolds. The flute plays the double role of telling the story of Ophelia's death, and mourning it.

Ophelia's drowning lasted nine minutes; Canto for flute lasts fifteen. The distillation of the choral element of the original into a piece for solo flute has created a work which makes enormous demands on the flautist, who has to achieve a wide dramatic range and sustain an intense musical line, without the benefit of physical rest or textural contrast. I wrote Canto for flute in 2000 and dedicated it to Philippa Davies, who is one of my closest musical friends. Despite her astounding technical and musical abilities, it is not in the least surprising that it took her five years to find time to prepare the piece, and the confidence to programme it.

Giles Swayne
2025