Air for flute and organ, Op. 106

Lowell Liebermann: Air for flute and organ, Op. 106 was written in 2008. The piece is most frequently performed in the composer's own version for flute and piano. The work is dedicated to Dionne Hansen, a flutist and dedicated supporter of the arts. It was premiered on September 21, 2008, at the First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, by flutist Dionne Hansen and organist Jeffrey Price.
The piece is essentially a "Song Without Words." It requires a seamless legato and a wide variety of tonal colors. While strictly tonal, it utilizes Liebermann's signature "shimmering" harmonies, using unexpected modulations that give the music a timeless, almost "sacred" quality.
It is often described as "serene yet melancholic." The piano/organ part provides a steady, rhythmic pulse over which the flute floats in long, arched phrases.
In 2008, Liebermann was fascinated by the "Air" as a musical form, a simple, singing melody. Along with Op. 106, he also composed his Air for Cello and Piano, Op. 104. These works marked a shift away from the dense, virtuosic complexity of his 1990s concertos toward a "purer" melodicism.
During this period, Liebermann was deeply involved in academia as the head of the Composition Department at Mannes College The New School for Music in New York. His teaching and administrative duties often led him to write "shorter" gems like Op. 106 between larger commissions.