<<<  <<  -- 2 --  Malcolm Tattersall    FEATURING THE FLUTE

No, I didn't forget the first two items on the disc. I just don't think they deserve the prominence the track order gives them.

As Baxtresser observes, François Devienne, a French contemporary of Mozart, is barely known today except to woodwind players. His early Duo was composed for two flutes, as Baxtresser does not observe, but is actually more interesting anyway on contrasting instruments, as performed here, because the interplay of parts is clearer. It is distanced from the rest of the disc by a century or more and is a slight work in any case so, pleasant though it is, it is hard to regard it as anything more than a filler.

Madeleine Dring was a mid-twentieth century English composer and actress whose main compositional activity was in song-writing; her work pops up occasionally in collections of 'British Light Music'. Her Trio was composed for her husband, oboist Roger Lord, in 1968. The outer movements have some acerbic post-impressionistic harmonic twists but most of the pleasure to be had from the work is in the slow second movement, where Dring is happy to spin a flowing cantilena over a light accompaniment without worrying about musical fashion [listen -- track 4, 0:00-1:30].

Performances are polished throughout. Every little detail is just so, and the balance is always good. If there is any fault in the interpretation it is a tendency to play for the moment rather than strive to bring out the longer-range structures or fully individualise the pieces. With moments as beautiful as these, it's a fault that is easily forgiven.

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