[virion]

For solo alto flute

Commissioned by Gavin Osbourne

Notes:

Gavin Osbourne has been a long respected name in the Manchester new music scene. An exemplary exponent of the farthest reaches of new music and an accomplished composer in his own right. It's therefore been a real joy to have been invited to work with Gavin on a new solo piece to celebrate his new alto instrument.

A virion, if I understand it correctly, is the infectious biological particle component of a virus, i.e. it is the raw DNA/RNA strand as it exists before it infects a host cell. Once infected, the composite of virion and host become a living virus. I found this helpful in understanding the distinction.