Notes and Editorial Reviews
A scintillating disc for Valentine's Day of brilliant arrangements for Flute and Orchestra with the masterful Paula Robison.
2962920.zz6_PAULA_ROBISON_ONE
PAULA ROBISON: ONE HUNDRED ROSES
•
Paula Robison (fl); David Stahl, cond; Charleston SO
•
PERGOLA PR 1032 (59:55)
GODARD
Suite de trois morceaux:
Allegretto.
CHAMINADE
Concertino.
GRIFFES
Poem
.
MASSENET
Thaïs:
Méditation.
SAINT-SAËNS
Romance
.
One Hundred Roses:
7 Italian Serenades and Dances
(arr. Paget):
LEONCAVALLO
Mattinata.
DI CAPUA
O sole mio. I’ te vurria vasà.
ANON
Ninna-Nanna.
TOSTI
’A vucchella. Marechiare.
ROSSINI
La danza
Paula Robison has a scintillating new CD, and her own new label—Pergola, an Italian word, meaning an arcade supporting grape vines or climbing roses. Pergola has also issued a disc entitled “Mozart in Love,” and promises four more releases in 2006.
The present disc takes its name from the 26-minute suite of Neapolitan songs, brilliantly arranged by Daniel Paget for flute, string orchestra, mandolin, guitar, and percussion. Most of these songs feature long melodic lines; they were, after all, originally meant to be sung. The sweetest is the folk-lullaby,
Ninna-Nanna
. Two lively items conclude the suite—Tosti’s
Marechiare
and Rossini’s
Danza
, a sizzling tarantella. Paget proves himself an expert arranger, bringing other solo voices in and out of his textures so that the solo flute never becomes routine. He also has the flute depart now and then from basic melodies to play decorative and virtuoso passages.
The disc begins with the concert pieces by Benjamin Godard—a morsel indeed, Cécile Chaminade, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, and Jules Massenet. After
One Hundred Roses
, it concludes with the
Romance
of Camille Saint-Saëns. All these composers were French, except the American Griffes, and he composed in the style of France’s musical impressionists. So the disc illuminates an expressive kinship between important strains of French and Italian music as the 19th century turned into the 20th. All the music here is first-rate of its kind, but I am especially delighted with Chaminade’s Concertino, which I am hearing for the first time. Though only nine minutes long, it could serve as the first movement of a longer concerto, having a firm structure, lovely melodies, arresting orchestration, and a fine solo cadenza.
Producer and engineer Adam Abeshouse has captured the kaleidoscopic colors of Robison’s flute, and the corresponding rich varieties of tone from the Charleston orchestra, on this evidence an excellent band with a fine conductor. Strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Robert McColley
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Works on This Recording
1.
Suite de morceaux (3) for Flute and Piano, Op. 116: Allegretto by Benjamin Godard
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1889; France
2.
Concertino for Flute, Op. 107 by Cécile Louise Chaminade
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1902; France
3.
Poem for Flute and Orchestra by Charles Tomlinson Griffes
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1918; USA
4.
Thaïs: Meditation by Jules Massenet
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894; France
5.
Mattinata by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1904; Italy
6.
'O sole mio by Eduardo Di Capua
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; Italy
7.
Ninna nanna a Gesu by Traditional
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Written: Italy
8.
Canzoni napoletane (3): no 1, 'A vucchella by Francesco Paolo Tosti
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1907; Italy
9.
I' te vurria vasà by Eduardo Di Capua
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Italy
10.
Canzoni napoletane (3): no 3, Marechiare by Francesco Paolo Tosti
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1886; Italy
11.
Les soirées musicales: no 8, La danza by Gioachino Rossini
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1830-1835; Italy
12.
Romance for Flute and Orchestra in D flat major, Op. 37 by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; France
13.
Mattinata by Francesco Paolo Tosti
Performer:
Paula Robison (Flute)
Conductor:
David Stahl
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Charleston Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Italy
Featured Sound Samples
Flute Concertino (Chaminade)
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