PREORDER: Lake Bacon for Flute Quartet
$20.00
$20.00
per item
Program Note
Hippos are often portrayed in pop culture as cute, pudgy, gentle herbivores—think of Disney’s ballet-dancing hippo in Fantasia. But in reality, they are among the most dangerous animals on Earth: fiercely territorial, highly aggressive, and startlingly fast. They often charge and attack boats of tourists, and are responsible for around 500 human deaths per year.
I composed this piece for flute quartet to similarly upend expectations. The flute family is often associated with birdsong—light, graceful, and refined. But like the hippo, flutes can surprise us with their power, unpredictability, and ferocity. The piece opens with a deceptively slow and ponderous melody that gradually gains speed and menace. Spiraling motifs and fluttering trills evoke the rapid spinning of a hippo’s tail—a behavior used to mark territory with flung waste. A wild chase ensues, propelling the quartet to a raucous finale. Perhaps you’ve escaped the hippo… this time.
Why “Lake Bacon?” The term was coined in the early 1900s, when an enterprising congressman proposed importing hippos to Louisiana as a novel solution to both a meat shortage and an invasive plant problem. The idea never took off.
Lake Bacon was commissioned by Dr. Elizabeth Robinson and premiered in August 2026 at the National Flute Association Convention in Portland, Oregon.
I composed this piece for flute quartet to similarly upend expectations. The flute family is often associated with birdsong—light, graceful, and refined. But like the hippo, flutes can surprise us with their power, unpredictability, and ferocity. The piece opens with a deceptively slow and ponderous melody that gradually gains speed and menace. Spiraling motifs and fluttering trills evoke the rapid spinning of a hippo’s tail—a behavior used to mark territory with flung waste. A wild chase ensues, propelling the quartet to a raucous finale. Perhaps you’ve escaped the hippo… this time.
Why “Lake Bacon?” The term was coined in the early 1900s, when an enterprising congressman proposed importing hippos to Louisiana as a novel solution to both a meat shortage and an invasive plant problem. The idea never took off.
Lake Bacon was commissioned by Dr. Elizabeth Robinson and premiered in August 2026 at the National Flute Association Convention in Portland, Oregon.
Performing Forces
2 C Flutes
Alto Flute
Bass Flute
Alto Flute
Bass Flute