Sarah Louvion plays Jolivet, Bauzin, Rousset and Ibert

This debut CD by the young French flutist Sarah Louvion is from both the artistic point of view as well as in regards to the expansion of repertoire an enrichment of every classical music collection.

"… With a great deal of virtuosity, but ever light and filigree in the swift first and last movements, the beautifully played melodic arcs of the Andante and three impressive cadences, the young artist quickly won the audience’s favour…" --W.T.

Pierre-Philippe Bauzin, an extraordinary musician with a multi-faceted career, dedicated his flute concert that he finished in 1960 to Jean-Pierre Rampal. It was performed for the first and only time 40 years ago, and has inexplicably fallen into oblivion since.

Jean-Gabriel Bauzin, son of the composer who died in 2005, said about the rediscovery of this brilliant and melodic work by Sarah Louvion: "It is a truly fortunate coincidence that this work is interpreted and revived by such a talented young flutist."

In Albert Roussel’s serenade, the flute gains a very soloistic character due to its swiftness and expressiveness, and yet again ideally presents Sarah Louvion’s excellent play.

André Jolivets describes his musical intentions as follows: "From the technical point of view, my goal is to entirely liberate myself from the tonal system. As far as aesthetics are concerned, I would like to replenish music with its original function in regards to magic and invocation."

His composing style is complex and demands a highly versatile play, which is easily accomplished by Sarah Louvion and her ensemble.

Ibert, Rodrigo, Borne: Flute Concertos

There is absolutely nothing here to criticize. Sharon Bezaly is one of the world's top flutists; the repertoire has been chosen with her usual intelligence and imagination; she plays the living daylights out of all of three pieces; the accompaniments are simply marvelous; balances are perfect; the engineering is state-of-the-art stunning. So that's the review, but I would like to take a moment and say a few words about the music.

Rodrigo's Concierto Pastoral sounds like the most atrociously difficult flute work ever conceived. The opening alone is an endurance test of frightening virtuosity, and Bezaly plays it with such charm and finesse that you have to hear it to believe it. Personally, I rate the piece much higher than the ever-popular Concierto de Aranjuez, but you can listen and draw your own conclusions. Borne's Fantasie Brillante (as arranged here by Giancarlo Chiaramello) is one of about a billion works based on tunes from Bizet's Carmen. It's wholly delightful, even if the setting as a flute solo of the ominous "fate" theme from the opera's introduction turns out to be unintentionally funny. It's kind of like doing the same thing to the 1812 Overture, if you know what I mean.

Ibert's Flute Concerto of course is the major repertory staple on this disc, and competition comes from the superb Emmanuel Pahud on EMI. As always when Bezaly goes head to head with the best, she's fully up to the challenge. Pahud's tone is uniquely huge and "fat", but if anything Bezaly is even more lively in the outer movements, and for my money she phrases the melodies with greater imagination (check out the those delicious little tenutos in the concerto's opening solo). Pahud's coupling, the flute transcription of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto, also is much less desirable than the works presented here. You always get the sense that Bezaly has thought about the whole program; she's a musician first, a virtuoso second, and gratifyingly concerned about good presentation. So it all adds up to another winner from Bezaly and BIS--and the Rodrigo really is a show-stopper. [1/15/2007] --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 125 MB