Avalerion

Little is known about the mythology of the avalerion, a mythological bird very much akin to the Firebird of countless traditions. Some of the earliest writing about the avalerion exists in Guillaume de Machaut's poetic work The Tale of the Alerion, and medieval scholars placed its geographic origin between the Hydaspes and Indus rivers in modern-day India and Pakistan. It was said that only two such birds existed at any given time. Avalerion loosely follows the traditional firebird narrative of death and rebirth: The opening evocation of Avalerion is put into motion through bold, chiming chords, a mysterious melody presented by the strings, and an ethereal resonance created by seven Tibetan singing bowls. The evocation gives way to flight, as pulsating swells come and recede like an ominous wind as a growing turbulence emerges. Suddenly the turbulence becomes all-encompassing as a darkness moves to the fore; the strings erupt in a flurry of activity as the winds wail passionate cries and the percussion stirs thunder and turmoil. When the darkness recedes, a barren, lifeless void remains; the flute and clarinet sing slow melodies of desolation and longing. Then, from the stillness, the cycle of rebirth begins, reaching completion as opening evocation returns triumphantly. Born anew, the avalerion flies into the distance... Avalerion is scored for flute, clarinet, two percussion, piano, violin, viola, and cello and was commissioned by Ruth Zachary in memory of her husband Norman Zachary.