Flutter

May 2020 (for solo violin)

Flutter is based on Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, a dark fantasy novel about secret societies in Yale. This piece illustrates a particular moment when the protagonist first encounters magic. She is introduced to a magical moth species that can drink or suck up ink from any surface by beating their wings, and she comes to a shocking revelation that the world is not what it seems when the moths completely erase her full sleeve tattoo by drinking the ink on her arms. The beginning of this piece conveys waves of anxiety, the protagonist’s initial reaction to the moths - not only because she experiences magic for the first time, but because she has a phobia of butterflies. Then, with a “plink” of the tremolo and pizzicato double stop half way throughout the piece, the music illustrates the wonder, curiosity, and awe that soon overwhelms her.

illustrated by Yuri Lee