Blackheath for Solo Flute

Blackheath for Solo Flute by Fran Griffin

In the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales, Australia, is the town of Blackheath, a gateway to wonderful scenery and bushwalking.  It is the home of Michael Scott, my last and esteemed flute teacher in the late 1970s at Sydney Conservatorium.  After meeting at a concert in 2019, he asked me if I would consider writing a solo flute piece for him.  I chose an idiom reminiscent of the music I had learned with Michael, the early to mid-twentieth century French repertoire that is the bread and butter of so many flute players. — Fran Griffin

Horseshoe Falls – A thin stream falls from the shear cliff edge and is blown into wisps during it’s long fall to the valley floor.

Blue Gum Forest – Immensely tall ancient blue gums fill the valley.  It is still, but not quiet, with the voices of birds echoing between the trees.

Govett’s Leap – Another waterfall and spectacular lookout, the word ‘Leap’ refers to the stream.  However, there is a legend that in the pioneering days of Australia, an escaped convict named Govett evaded capture by plunging with his horse off the cliff.