Volume 19 Issue 9 - June/July/August 2014

exemplifies the artistry and physical endurancethat are required to create this seamlessmusical vision for one of Ann Southam’smasterpieces.Réa BeaumontSins & FantasiesMark Takeshi McGregorRedshift Records TK430(redshiftmusic.org)What a brilliantconceit – sevenpieces, each bya different livingCanadian composer,and inspired by theSeven Deadly Sins.Beginning in 2010,Vancouver-based flute virtuoso Mark TakeshiMcGregor gave life to this project, and theresults are gloriously presented here. Thedisc begins with Dorothy Chang’s Wrath, ahissing, spitting and raging exploration oftone, breath and vocal sound, followed byGregory Lee Newsome’s Avarice and OwenUnderhill’s Three Reflections on Pride whichemploy flute, piccolo and alto flute. JocelynMorlock’s take on lust makes exquisitelyerotic use of the alto flute, McGregor’s voice,and words from a 20th-century icon whichcompletely spooked me out. James BeckwithMaxwell’s Invidere (envy) wanders into thefar reaches of extended techniques, andBenton Roark’s Untitled gives a meditativeand melancholy spin to sloth.In all these, McGregor’s remarkable gifts asa player are mesmerizing. Besides his extraordinarytechnical mastery, his is playing ofthe most imaginative and creative kind. Andto top it off, the disc closes with McGregor’sown Le dernier repas de M. Creosote, inspiredby the infamous Monty Python characterand an absolute tour de force any way youslice it. Three of Telemann’s Fantasias arealso included as foils to the new pieces; forme, McGregor’s sense of musical adventurehere pales in comparison. But no matter: asChaucer says in The Parson’s Tale, the deadlysins “all run on one Leash, but in diversemanners,” and here their diversity is astonishing,inspiring, and only dangerous in thebest possible way.Alison MelvilleCanadian Flute DuosJennifer Brimson Cooper; Amy HamiltonIndependent (fluteworld.com)Rich tone, extraordinarilypreciseensemble playingand lyrical musicalphrases highlightthis new release,Canadian Flute Duos,performed by JenniferBrimson Cooper andAmy Hamilton. Both flutists are distinguishedprofessors at the university level, respectedsoloists and chamber performers. They havechosen seven contrasting Canadian worksfeaturing varied stylistic sensibilities whichilluminate the tremendous gifts of both thecomposers and the performers.Imant Raminsh’s Butterflies (Papillons)is a Romantic-like work with rapid movingflute lines and trills emulating the sound offluttering wings against a shifting chordalpiano backdrop (performed by Beth Ann DeSousa). Jim Hiscott’s Quatrain for two flutesis a four-movement work with minimalistqualities, contrapuntal lines and harmonictwo-part runs. Especially beautiful is thecomposer’s use of lengthy held single noteswhich are reminiscent of his accordion worksand performances. Composer/flutist RobertAitken’s expressive Wedding Song is basedon an American Sioux Indian song. Thehaunting melody, dynamic harmonics andswells and precise whistle tones make thistrack the highlight of the disc. Works by JohnBeckwith, R. Murray Schafer, François Moreland Tibor Polgar are also included.I continually forgot that I was listeningto two flutes as the performers share a closemusical relationship to both their instrumentsand each other. The precision, care,understanding and respect for the music byBrimson Cooper and Hamilton make thisrecording an artistic keeper.Tiina KiikChristos Hatzis – Flute ConcertosPatrick Gallois; Thessaloniki StateSymphony; Alexandre MyraNaxos 8.573091Released by Naxoson its CanadianClassics series, thisCD offers the recordedpremieres of twoflute concertos byChristos Hatzis, one ofCanada’s best-knownliving composers, asplayed by the celebrated French flutist PatrickGallois and the Thessaloniki State Symphony.The first, Departures, is a memorial piecewritten in 2011, a time of personal loss forHatzis and the year of Japan’s devastatingtsunami and nuclear disasters. Hatzis isknown for his use of multiple and eclecticinfluences, and here there are whiffs ofJapanese melody, blues patterns, Frenchimpressionism and much more. In the firstmovement, the flute flutters deftly betweentraditional and extended sound worlds, withseamlessly woven interplay between soloistand orchestra. The orchestral playing in thethird movement brings robust rhythms incisivelyto life.Overscript, written in 1993 and revised in2012, is described in the notes as a commentaryon Bach’s Concerto in G Minor BWV1056/1 for flute, strings and basso continuo.Bachophiles will know the root piece bettereither as the concerto for harpsichord in Fminor or as the G minor violin concerto. Herewe have a very different kind of piece, a kindof palimpset in which Hatzis superimposeshis own music over Bach’s in fragmentedformat, making for some intriguing comparisonswhich the listener is invited to make.Under Alexandre Meyrat’s first-rate direction,the orchestra plays in lively and expressivefashion throughout, and Gallois is his usualelegant, musically effervescent and technicallybrilliant self.Alison MelvilleAmerican ArtAmy Porter; Christopher HardingEquilibrium EQ 114 (equilibri.com)This CD’s title,American Art, is agood fit for the houror so of music itpresents. The threelong compositionson it, Eldin Burton’sSonatina, RobertBeaser’s Variations,Christopher Caliendo’s Flute Sonata No.3and the one short piece, Michael Daugherty’sCrystal, are all creations of highly accomplishedcomposers, and have an unmistakablyAmerican sound. They could not havebeen written anywhere else. As a matter ofinterest, they are also all tonal; not in a waythat is slavishly imitative of the great onesof the past, but in a way that brings to life abroad palette of human experience, singing,dancing, weeping and rejoicing its way intothe souls of performers and listeners alike, ina uniquely contemporary way.Above all, the performances are a flawlesscollaboration between flutist Amy Porter’sconfident and authoritative artistry andChristopher Harding’s superb work on thepiano. He caresses the keys, bringing fluidityand lyricism that you don’t always hear frompianists; and Porter, with her incomparabletechnique, incisive articulation and varieddynamics, is a match for everything thecomposers throw at her.The duo’s sparkling teamwork as wellas the virtuosity of both players is particularlyevident in the short final movement ofCaliendo’s Sonata, “Bronco Buster.” In thesecond movement of Beaser’s VariationsPorter’s effortless and gradual movementfrom primordial stillness to breathtakingexcitement and intensity is a good example ofher artistry.This recording opens a window on thepossibilities of contemporary music and aside of life south of the border that you willnever hear about on the news!Allan PulkerFrederic Rzewski – The People United WillNever Be DividedCorey HammRedshift Records TK431 (redshiftmusic.org)thewholenote.com June 4, 2014 – Sept 7, 2014 | 79