American Flute Works
Laurel Ann Maurer (flute), Joanne Pearce Martin (piano)
The great beauty of this album is the variety of music by fine American composers. From the familiar by Copland and Barber, to the less so by the rest, this is an admirable disc. Robert Muczynski studied with Alexander Tcherepnin at DePaul University. His "Sonata" has been described as an energetic and optimistic work, reflecting the American "can-do" mood of the early 1960s. Leo Kraft's "Fantasy" incorporates some of the "new acquisitions" that were in the air during 1963, including the choice and chance scores of John Cage. About "Hexachords" Joan Tower has written that it is "divided into five sections, which are most easily differentiated by a sense of either going somewhere or staying somewhere." Meyer Kupferman's "Chaconne Sonata" was commissioned by Laurel Ann Maurer and composed especially for her. Only the first movement is cast in the traditional chaconne design. The remaining three movements reflect an ongoing setting of the thematic material drawn from the opening four bar phrase of the chaconne. Laurel Ann Maurer grew up in Seattle where she studied. Later she came to New York where she studied with Samuel Baron, Julius Baker and Jeanne Baxtresser. She has held principal chairs in the National Orchestra of New York, the New York City Symphony, Long Island Chamber Orchestra, Queens Philharmonia and the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra. She is currently principal flute of the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra and director of American Flute Works.
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Canzone for Flute & Piano | Samuel Barber | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute, Joanne Martin Pearce, piano |
| Duo for Flute & Piano | Aaron Copland | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute, Joanne Martin Pearce, piano |
| Fantasy for Flute & Piano | Leo Kraft | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute, Joanne Martin Pearce, piano |
| Chaconne Sonata for Flute & Piano | Meyer Kupferman | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute, Joanne Martin Pearce, piano |
| Sonata, Op. 14 for Flute & Piano | Robert Muczynski | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute, Joanne Martin Pearce, piano |
| Hexachords for Solo Flute | Joan Tower | Laurel Ann Maurer, flute |
Reviews
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"This impressively performed recital of American flute music from the second half of the century demonstrates a number of different and significant compositional trends... In fact, she is technically superb in every way. Her tone is consistently attractive even in the most treacherous passages, and she plays with great rhythmic drive and impeccable phrasing... This is a very interesting program, played with extraordinary skill by two expert musicians."
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