Gregson - Aztec Dances For Flute/piano

Aztec Dances was commissioned by Christopher Orton, with the assistance of the BBC Performing Arts Fund. The first performance was given by Christopher Orton (recorder) and Magdalena Nasidlak (piano) at a concert in the Manchester Midday Concerts series at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, in March 2010. The version for flute and piano was premiered by Wissam Boustany (Flute) and Aleksander Szram (Piano) at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, on Thursday 19 May 2011. 1. Ritual/Pastorale 2. Fertility Dance 3. Ghost Dance/Song 4. Sacrificial Dance Composer's Note The idea for the genesis of this work, and indeed its title and individual movements, came after visiting an exhibition at the British Museum entitled Moctezuma –Aztec Ruler. The exhibition traced the events following the election in 1502 of Moctezuma as Supreme Ruler of the Aztecs, and the subsequent invasion of 1519 by a Spanish expedition led by Hermán Cortés – an event that was to eventually lead