Sonata No. 3 for flute and piano

Mike Mower: Sonata No. 3 for flute and piano was written in 2003. The world premiere was given by British flutist Clare Southworth and pianist Tim Carey in London on February 28, 2003. The sonata won first prize in the National Flute Association (NFA) newly published music competition in 2004.
Unlike Mower's earlier jazz-heavy "shuffle" pieces, Sonata No. 3 uses geological imagery to ground its modern, technically demanding language, which alternates between "frosty, frigid" characters and "visceral" rhythmic grooves.
In 2003, Mower was moving beyond American jazz to explore world music. This is reflected in the Sonata's movements:
1. Moraine: A stark movement evoking freezing glacial waters with mystery and depth. Moraine is a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity.
2. Escarpment: A fast, jazzy, and "cheeky" movement embodying the ascent of a mountain slope. An escarpment is a long, steep slope, especially one at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights.
3. Plateau: An almost hypnotic, sensual dialogue where both instruments explore their middle range. Plateau is an area of relatively level high ground. This movement maintains the icy coldness of the opening, described as a "frosty, frigid" scene reminiscent of a Scandinavian ice hotel. It features an almost hypnotic, sensual dialogue where both instruments explore their middle registers within a restricted range.
4. Scree: A high-energy finale mimicking an avalanche of rock and shale, bringing the sonata to a crashing conclusion. Scree is a mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain.