Legend for Two Piccolos and Piano by Carol Barnett

In a letter accompanying the commission of this piece, Mary Laurie wrote: “…I do not hope for anything reminiscent of Kuhlau, but something that a Kuhlau lover could love too…please, not a stupid mess of chirping birds.” With these directives in mind, I set to work to write a piece based on my experience as a player of flute duets and etudes – one containing the harmonic variety and surprise that I never found in these musical forms. I call the piece Legend, because, as any good story retold, it contains elements both old and new. There are chirping birds, but they quickly get turned into something else… Legend was premiered by Walfrid Kujala (piccolo), Sherry Kujala (piccolo), and Robert Pherigo (piano) on November 10, 1991, at Tick Staiger Hall in Evanston, Illinois.