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Pan, Journal of the British Flute Society

This is a collection of Australian bird portraits, by British composer Edward Cowie. Long-time lover of nature, Cowie first wrote a set of British bird portraits for violin and piano during the lockdown, and went on two compose this companion set for flute. Each of the pieces is around 2–3 minutes long, with the shortest being a little over a minute long.

The sleeve notes include some personal commentaries by the composer and both performers, which add an appealing personal touch to the disc. It’s interesting to read about their own connections with nature, and about how the project came into being. The different perspectives on the project are also a welcome addition.

The collection explores the songs and characters of 24 different birds, including the Pied Butcher Bird, the Lyrebird and the wonderfully-named Green Cat Bird. Perhaps more familiar favourites, such as the Kookaburra, Bush Stone Curlew and Australian Magpie also appear.

One cannot consider bird song for flute and piano without recalling Messiaen’s Le Merle Noir, one of the most established examples of this medium. While the musical material is of course different, one hears resonances of Messiaen’s sound straight away in the first track, the Australian Raven. However, Cowie explores the timbral possibility of the instruments in broader ways, including extended techniques such as singing and playing, flutter tonguing, air sounds and overblowing. There are also some inside-the-piano techniques effectively used for a variety of colour.

Highlights for me included the explosive opening of the Australian Masked Plover (track 3), combined with the more still moments later on in the piece. The distinctive call of the Golden Whistler is highly captivating, and the magical atmosphere which Cowie creates in the Superb Fairy Wren movement is wonderful. Low flutes make a welcome appearance in places too, depicting the Brolga Crane, the White-breasted Sea Eagle and the Wampoo Pigeon.

Sara Minelli’s flute playing has character and expression throughout; she has a good technical command of the instrument and produces some lovely timbral changes in the use of the different techniques. Her playing is distinctly bird-like and she captures the character of the music well. Roderick Chadwick’s piano playing is sensitive and warm, technically highly accomplished and rhythmically precise. It was a joy to hear him play, and the piano parts allowed for an equal duo role with the flute.

Overall this is a lively and imaginative collection of works, which has much to offer and provides a wonderful introduction to Australian birds. Cowie is clearly a skilled composer whose writing is both effective for the instruments and extremely evocative. This is a significant body of work which deserves to be known within the flute community.