Pamela Sklar, flutist {Official Site}

Written for Eight Strings and a Whistle, Two Journeys (Third Eye and the Inward Journey) represents separate but connected journeys towards self-awakening, awareness, enlightenment and greater spirituality.

Third Eye opens (begins, actually) with the flute playing a single, long high F# (one of the more mystical notes on the flute, to me). The opening rapid solo which flows quickly from that F# represents a brief ceremonial calling- a willingness to open and seek one’s inner truth to begin such an odyssey.

The three instruments share similar energy- the viola and cello vibrating wood via bowed or plucked strings, the flute using life breath to vibrate a silver tube.

Throughout the piece, longer stretches of uneven time signatures and differing lengths of sustained notes enable listeners to experience a feeling of being in the moment without measuring time as we do in the physical plane.

The music ends much like the opening with a single suspended flute note, but now with a high E. A seventh above the opening tone, the higher E symbolizes the seventh chakra (the crown chakra) which relates to pure consciousness.

The Inward Journey is a very sustained, slow-moving, meditative and probing experience musically, as it is the actual journey (rather than a description) of leaving your world, the physical Earth plane and all things familiar, including your comfort zone...at times. The journey is hypnotic and it might 'test' your patience, since some phrases don't resolve more immediately as we experience in our popular (and much of Classical) music culture. Nonetheless, there is an energy coming through, which overrides the initial Patience Stage- waiting/trying to hear or feel something/settling our thoughts/letting go of where we are as we begin to transition in order to move into 'being in the moment'. The ending of this particular journey feels very passionate to me. Perhaps your reaction will be different.