ABSTRACT
The flute is one of Kaija Saariaho's favourite instruments. Speech, whispering and different kinds of breath tones become central sonic elements in Saariaho's flute writing, requiring performers to use a range of sound-producing techniques. This chapter discusses the flautist's bodily presence when using speech and breath techniques, with special reference to the solo flute works Laconisme de l'aile and NoaNoa. Instead of being a strictly controlled construction in the production of a dense flute sound, the flautist's lips become more of a fluid aperture of mixed sonic emanations. The fluid aperture of the flautist's lips is used very prominently in Laconisme de l'aile: the piece starts with the recitation of an excerpt from the poem Oiseaux, by Saint-john Perse. In the context of western art music, listening to a whispering flautist has particularly loaded connotations, given the relationship between instrument, lips, whispering, language, flute-sound and listener.
