Album Notes

Some say the flute is one of the first instruments ever made, carved by ancient people from wood or bone. Perhaps that is why, when I play it alone, I notice that it feels inherently spiritual to me, even mystical. Perhaps the sound of my modern flute evokes the spirits of its ancestors, the flutes of distant and ancient cultures used in ceremonies and rituals. Or maybe it\'s just because the sound, made with human breath, is like a supernatural human voice.

In my study of modern music I have been touched by certain pieces, ones that seem to resonate more deeply than others. Here are nine of them. They are modern, but they are also spiritual. Simple or complex, lyrical or virtuosic, all share a soulful intensity and demand a heightened attention to expressive detail. When I play them I am transported to a magical, meditative place and I want listeners to travel there with me. This is spiritual modernism. It is meditative chant sung through the voice of the flute. These are my incantations.

\"Miss Rudich plays very beautifully, producing a smooth, silken tone, phrasing with spirited elegance, and operating with a crucial sense of linear continuity that characterizes a polished artist.\"
–The New York Times

\"Rachel Rudich\'s playing seems to exhaust the possibilities of extended techniques for the instrument.\"
–The Los Angeles Times

\"...a captivating, lively dialogue...bright, shapely birdsong...bubbling, unlabored, lovable invention...\"
-The New Yorker

\"Rachel Rudich\'s flute purred, moaned, whispered and rattled through many mesmeric and sensual passages.\"
-The Village Voice

\"Rachel Rudich is a remarkably fluent instrumentalist
with a talent for involvement in first-rate music elsewhere neglected.\"
–Fanfare Magazine