Evil Taunt, Fair Menace was commissioned by James Pellerite, and was composed between January 1st and February 8th of 2008. Because of my lack of familiarity with the solo instrument, significant editing to that part was effected by the dedicatee. James Pellerite, former principal flutist for the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, went to Indiana University to assume a role on the faculty of the School of Music there. Upon his retirement, he took up an interest in the Native American flute, and has commissioned numerous composers to create a repertory for the instrument, and has performed these works around the world as its leading exponent. Because of the limited note and dynamic range of the instrument, it is a challenging instrument to write for. The present composer has sought to achieve variety through changes of tempi, and orchestral color, using a number of exotic and seldom-encountered percussion instruments to this end. The title of the work is an anagram for "Native American Flute." Having made this discovery, and liking the title, I set about to write a work to attempt to match the mood set by the title. No other symbolism is expressed or implied by the title, but the work itself is meant to sound mysterious and menacing, even foreboding, as if something dramatic is about to occur.
