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American
Reflections
Leonard
Garrison
© 2008
Albany Records
T
his CD features two
Robert Beaser compositions. Souvenirs for piccolo and piano (2002)
contains six miniatures, of which the longest, “Spain,” is
just under six minutes, while the shortest, “Happy Face,” is
about two minutes. Garrison and pianist Jonathan Sokasits
render these evocative little pieces with the lyrical sensitivity and joyfulness that each requires; the piccolo playing is
sophisticated and even elegant. “Y2K” evokes all the questioning and uncertainty of mood we remember from that
millennial turning. Variations for flute and piano (1982)
may perhaps be more familiar to listeners. Garrison executes each of the variations with appropriate technical
virtuosity, but what I most enjoyed, as in the piccolo and
piano composition, was the sensitivity with which pianist
and flutist seemed attuned to each other’s music-making.
There is no unnecessary haste here, no apparent anxiety, to
conclude the musical conversation.
Nino Rota:
Improvviso
Albatros Ensemble
© 2008 Stradivarius
T
his disc of works by
Nino Rota is recorded
by the Albatross Ensemble,
featuring flutist Stefano
Parrino, with Alessandro
Marangoni on piano, Alessia Luise on harp, and Giovanni
Crola on flute. The opening track is the arresting Trio for
flute, violin, and piano, a dramatic piece of writing with its
turbulent first movement, passionate central movement, and
dazzling finale. The Sonata for flute and harp is an expressive
and characterful three-movement work and a gem in the
repertoire. Tre Pezzi per due Flauti (three pieces for two flutes)
begins with an imitative movement performed here by two
Much of the same praise can also be sung with respect to
the performance of Lukas Foss’s Three American Pieces for
flute and piano (1944–1945, rev. 1993). Although some of
the brilliant third register work in “Early Song” moves dangerously close to problematic pitch (some sharpness), the
dynamic control is impressive, and Garrison nicely avoids
the overuse of vibrato, touching the melodic line only
sparingly and always appropriately, especially noticeable in
“Dedication.” The energy and excitement of “Composer’s
Holiday” (always an audience favorite!) is palpable.
Garrison’s playing here dances with exuberance; the
singing/playing sections are nicely tuned.
The Variations on a Swedish Folktune for solo flute (1945)
by Ingolf Dahl runs the flutist all through the register
ranges, bouncing with apparent unconcern as to the
pyrotechnics required of the embouchure, for which reason
it has always been a pedagogical favorite of mine. While few
young students can manage the leaps and bounds of these
variations, their studied attempts invariably strengthen the
lips and lead to the development of their necessary flexibility.
Garrison demonstrates an enviable tonal consistency I know
I’ll play for them as a model to be emulated. Again, his careful
avoidance of unconscious vibrato adds to the melodic sophistication. All in all, a CD I am pleased to have added to my
personal library.
—Cynthia Stevens
well-matched players. The second movement is simple and
mournful, and expressively performed. The piece ends with a
highly enjoyable florid waltz. The Cinque pezzi facile per Flauto
e Pianoforte were written a little before the duets, and are a set
of five simple melodies, each with its own individual characters. The Allegro veloce for flute and piano is, as the title suggests, a virtuoso display with charm and energy. With a duration of under two minutes, this wonderful miniature would
make an excellent encore piece for a recital. The final track is
the Rotafantasy, a trio arrangement by Rocco Abate that brings
together many of the film soundtrack themes that Rota is
known for, including La dolce vita and I Clowns. The disc also
features two wonderful performances of works for violin and
piano, the Improvviso and the Sonata for violin and piano.
This is a highly enjoyable disc of repertoire not previously
known to me. The Albatros Ensemble perform with flair and
serve as excellent ambassadors for Nino Rota’s excellent music.
—Carla Rees
Many thanks to our team of reviewers: Robert Bigio, Mia Dreese, Pat George, Susan Goodfellow,
Erich Graf, Amy Hamilton, Kimberlee Goodman, Julie Koidin, Walfrid Kujala, Brian Luce,
Ruth Ann McClain, Tess Miller, Susan Nelson, Keith Pettway, Jerry Pritchard, Carla Rees,
Cynthia Stevens, Peter Westbrook, Brooks de Wetter-Smith, John Wion, and the members of the
Newly Published Music Competition Committee.
nfaonline.org
Summer 2009 The Flutist Quarterly
79