{"product_id":"mclearnon-saudade-for-alto-flute-and-piano","title":"McLearnon- Saudade for Alto Flute and Piano","description":"\u003ch2\u003eMcLearnon- Saudade for Alto Flute and Piano\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComposer: Gareth McLearnon\u003cbr\u003eAlto flute part and piano score\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Gareth McLearnon\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaudade was born on one of those days that felt almost offensively perfect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was in the Western Cape with my friend and colleague Cobus du Toit, sitting at Tokara Wine Estate near Stellenbosch with coffee and brownies. The sky was completely blue, the mountains and vineyards were spectacular, everything was lush and green, and somehow the temperature was a perfectly comfortable 24 or 25 degrees Celsius (around 76F). (see photo!)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCobus looked out at it all and asked whether there was a word for that strange feeling of being completely, blissfully happy while already feeling desperately sad because you know the moment has to end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe discovered the Portuguese word Saudade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I immediately said: “And THAT is the piece I’m going to write for you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStyle: Contemporary Bossa Nova \/ jazz-influenced style, fully written-out improvised-style solo with extended alto-flute range used for expressive effect\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e-Gareth McLearnon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaudade is principally an Advanced alto-flute work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe full jazz solo requires confident technique, stylistic flexibility and the ability to make carefully written material sound genuinely spontaneous. The alternative solo makes the piece significantly more approachable for an intermediate player without changing the overall musical experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe expressive challenge matters just as much as the technical one. The performer has to move convincingly between relaxed Bossa Nova ease, wistfulness and those deliberately enormous tragic outbursts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eAbout Gareth McLearnon\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGareth McLearnon is an internationally renowned flutist, composer, arranger and educator from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and based in Strasbourg, France. His career has taken him across six continents as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, recording artist and teacher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrincipal Flute of the Heritage Orchestra since 2009 and a Wm. S. Haynes Artist, he has performed and taught at leading conservatoires, festivals and concert venues around the world. His recording work spans film and television, multi-award-winning and multi-million-selling video games, library music and commercial album releases.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"All Flutes Plus","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61322777887054,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0885\/5335\/7646\/files\/Screenshot_2026-06-09_at_11.47.33.webp?v=1792686958","url":"https:\/\/www.allflutesplus.com\/products\/mclearnon-saudade-for-alto-flute-and-piano","provider":"All Flutes Plus","version":"1.0","type":"link"}