LOOPS I (1999) 
For flute
Commission by the French Cultural Center of Milan, Italy

I had been waiting to write a piece for solo flute for a long time, ever since Eolia in fact, a work that dates from the 1980s, in which I had tried to move on from the normally voluble style associated with the flute in the traditional repertoire. In Loops I, the sound of the flute and its techniques are of less importance than the transformation procedure at work. The principle of the style of the piece is contained in the title which, when "looped", creates its own alliteration. It is very important to me to retain the spirit of these pieces. I start with little rhythmic motifs that are repeated and transformed as they progress. In fact, they are simple formulas which, by adding or taking away from themselves, end up creating further loops. What fascinates me is that between two loops, there is the way you arrive and the way you leave. The procedure itself matters little.
The loops fascinate me because they involve repetition, and repetition fascinates me because it is the basis of all transformation in time. In this work, the principle is pushed
to the extreme. I had never before used the loop in such an unadorned manner, with a single instrument., and yet the idea is dominant in all my pieces. My music has always used this principle of repetition. On the formal side, it makes for a better understanding, and provides landmarks for the listener. Loops I is a piece that I wrote very objectively, and yet it is based on intuitive elements, transformed freely by morphing.

Philippe Hurel