Dúo Ami

Dúo Ami (Duo Ami) is the first piece I wrote for my friend and colleague Alberto Almarza who enthusiastically asked me to create a duo for flute and piano, back in 1996. It was also the beginning of a series of new pieces and collaborations that became a friendly motive for mutual challenges and artistic development.

The undercurrent theme of this three-movement piece is the celebration of the birth and the first year of my son Amadís who was born in 1995. This is obvious in the last movement, which is named after him. This movement is like a day in his infant life; from the moment he awakes building up energy waves to a full throttle until he winds down again to a peaceful sleep. The second movement, La Espera which means "The Wait", written for piano alone is about the waiting (for the baby to be born, maybe.) This movement has a quasi piano bar feeling to it and reflects on the trying patience surrounding the process of growth. The first movement, Mantra, encompasses many things at once. I had visions of whirling Dervishes while I wrote this movement. It is a prayer; it is a love scene, the beginning of life and the mystery of it all.

Efraín Amaya
2004