Shop Now

InfoDad

 Somewhat analogously, aficionados of the music of John Buckley (born 1951) will be the main audience for a (+++) CD of his flute-and-piano music on the Métier label. Actually, the disc mixes flute-and-piano works with others involving the flute, resulting in a more-varied aural experience than if everything had been for the same two-instrument combination. The very first piece here is Five Études for Two Flutes, which are neatly reflective of their titles (e.g., “Perpetuum Mobile,” “Canon”) but sound as if they are more fun to play than simply to hear – although the concluding “Streetcar” is an enjoyable romp. Next is In Memoriam Doris Keogh,for flute and piano – a work memorializing the Irish flautist and teacher (1922-2012). The three-movement piece, intricate and insistently modern in harmony and rhythmic irregularity, is most effective in its central and longest movement, “Nocturne.” Two Fantasias for Alto Flute and Airflow (for solo flute) give Emma Coulthard ample opportunity to demonstrate both sound and technique, with the attractively exploratory Airflow being the most-interesting of the three pieces from a non-flute-playing listener’s perspective. Then the pianist on this recording, David Appleton, gets a chance to be heard without flute in Three Études for Piano.The first, elaborate movement, “Nine Variations,” is interestingly complex, while “Through the Empty Vaulted Night” and “Stars and Dreams” are more conventionally conceived. After this, Coulthard is again heard alone in Three Pieces for Solo Flute, which feel like études exploring the instrument’s full range and seeking (and occasionally finding) ways to make it sound somewhat un-flute-like. The second piece’s pointillist approach is particularly engaging. After this comes Sea Echoes (for glissando flute), which is interesting mainly for the chance to hear the effect of this instrumental modification, which makes a downward glissando possible from every note. The disc concludes with Boireann for flute and piano, in which Coulthard and Appleton mostly sound as if they are playing disparate works at the same time – the piece certainly has a contemporary sound to it, but at nearly 11 minutes, it overstays its welcome by a fair amount.