Starflame, for four horns

by Michael Kallstrom

$24

Starflame was commissioned by the TransAtlantic Horn Quartet and premiered at the Royal Academy in London, England. Composed as a program opener, the work is set in a fast tempo and features energized syncopations, meter changes and rhythmic motives. The one-movement work consists of three principal sections. The first features a rising, syncopated, scalar theme. The second is based on an accompanying rhythmic motive over which a more lyrical theme is introduced. The final section returns to and develops the opening theme. As the piece was composed for an ensemble of the finest players in the world, the four parts are very nearly equal in importance, range and technical requirements. The title suggests a work imbued with the brilliance of a shooting star, a comet’s tail or a solar flare.