The British Flute Society

President William Bennett OBE Honorary patrons Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway Vice-president Albert Cooper flute Chairman Wissam Boustany • flute•

The Journal of the 27 John Radcliff and the British Flute Society Antipodes

Volume 29 number 3 September 2010 John Wion tells the story of this leading nineteenth-century British flute player who Editor Robert Bigio visited Australia. • Contacting the BFS

Secretary and advertising Anna Munks 27 Eskdale Gardens Purley, Surrey CR8 1ET 3 News Telephone and fax 020 8668 3360 Email [email protected] BFS Mini-Festivals at RSAMD and Trinity Laban. Membership secretary BFS Premier Flautist Series. Flute choir news. John Rayworth Letters to the editor. BFS email newsletters. Hardbank Croft February flute days. Handbank, How Mill Brampton, Cumbria CA8 9LL Telephone 0845 680 1983 33 Flute players of the Email [email protected] regions of Britain: the Editorial north-east of England Robert Bigio 1 Doveridge Gardens London N13 5BJ Arthur Haswell interviews players from Telephone 020 8882 2627 Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the surrounding Fax 020 8882 2728 area. Email [email protected] • 45 Taking exams Editorial committee Robert Bigio, Simon Hunt, Mike MacMahon Tony Ovenell explains how to make exams a • more enjoyable musical experience. Copy editor Christopher Steward • Design and typesetting Robert Bigio 49 Composer focus: • Michael Colquhoun Cover Performers at the BFS Convention: Mike Mower, Samuel Coles, Katherine By Carla Rees. Bryan; Alena Lugovkina, Emmanuel Pahud, Paul Edmund-Davies; Jean-Louis Beaumadier, William Bennett, Silvia 53 Reviews Careddu. Photographs: Carla Rees Dawson • CDs, music, books and software. Printed by The Russell Press BFS convention Listings Views expressed by contributors are their own and do 13 62 not necessarily reflect the official view of the British Flute Society. All copyrights reserved. Registered charity No. 326473 News and reviews of the BFS convention in 64 The Last Word… ISSN 1360-1563 Manchester, with photographs by Carla Rees Dawson. Anna Pope on teaching talented pupils. www.bfs.org.uk Trevor James New Performers Series ‘step-up’ flutes Flutes

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Untitled-1 1 05/07/2010 09:18:27 News • News •

The BFS-RSAMD Mini-Festival

By Mike MacMahon and Alastair Learmont

This summer the BFS initiated a series of mini flute festivals, not unlike mini flute conventions, to be held throughout the UK. The first, held jointly with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, took place in Glasgow on Sunday and Monday, 6 and 7 June. Over forty flautists participated, mainly drawn from the Central Belt of Scotland but also as far afield as Ireland and the North of England. Members of the public as well as members of the profession also attended con- certs and masterclasses to listen and watch. One notable Jacques Zoon. Photograph by Colin Hind. absence through ill health was that of David Nicholson, His closing concert on the Monday evening was a for over forty years professor of flute at the RSAMD and mixture of the familiar (Bach’s BWV 1016, for violin, but so much part of the flute scene, both in Scotland and just as good on the flute, and Gaubert’s Nocturne) and the further afield. These are two days he would have loved. unfamiliar (Rietz’s Sonata in G minor, and Geraedts’s Sonatina). The mini-festival was a stimulating synthesis This was truly stylish playing. He plays with a wooden of masterclasses, performance and participation. flute and headjoint, and certainly gives the up-market International soloist Jacques Zoon joined us from metal flutes a run for their money. His breath control Geneva to give a series of masterclasses as remarkable and range of articulations are quite simply phenomenal. as much for their insight as their sheer musicality. Tone colours? Jacques has them, by the flutecase-ful. For Zoon an overall musical conception—however Ruth Morley, well-known performer, teacher simple—is essential. The opening of the Martin and member of the Scottish Flute Trio gave a series Ballade had a searching ‘Hitchcock’ feel to it. Thinking of masterclasses including a session on modern of the Dutilleux Sonatine he advocated a simple music, drawing on works from students at the approach. ‘Don’t let too many considerations crowd RSAMD and acting as a springboard for discussion in’; the ‘music is beautiful in itself’; ‘let the music do on contemporary work. Her recital with Scott the talking’. His approach to the CPE Bach D Minor Mitchell on Sunday afternoon again concentrated on concerto was robust, exuberant, even deliberately modern music, including two premieres, by Shona exaggerated. This was not ‘museum music’; this MacKay and Wei Zeng, and Thief, a work by Gordon was life itself. To achieve absolute clarity, he has the McPherson, head of the composition department at knack of taking not just phrases or bars apart, but the RSAMD. Ruth is a persuasive performer, with even notes themselves, for example the bottom C absolute control over the flute, from the bottom to sharp in the opening phrase of the Mozart D major the top. It was instructive to hear her demonstrate concerto. ‘Mozart,’ Zoon remarked laconically, ‘is how to practise—not just to play—modern (in fact, not soup’. very modern) music. www.bfs.org.uk 3 flute•

• News

And one’s lasting impressions of this Festival? There is some very fine flute-playing going on, both at RSAMD and amongst the wider non-Academy based flute-players in the UK. The standard is high, far higher certainly than twenty years ago. Would you stand up in front of an unfamiliar audience and do the first movement of the Nielsen concerto without music? Alex Leese did. The Festival was also an opportunity for the RSAMD students to show their abilities and interests. There was a lot to hear, watch, and think about—perhaps too much for even a two-day event. The traders in the main foyer area seemed to do better when the modern music was being performed. The piano accompaniments, most of the time by Scott Mitchell, were exemplary. Time-keeping in the masterclasses was sometimes erratic. Watches should be an obligatory item of apparel! Hearing the ‘masters’ wasn’t always easy: there was no amplification, and talking to the back wall was frequent! That said, the architectural acoustics of the RSAMD main buildings are good, and suit the sound of flutes very well.

Ketherine Bryan. Photograph by Colin Hind. Quantz Sonatas Another highlight was hearing Katherine Bryan, the principal flute of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the soloist in Mike Mower’s Flute Concerto, accompanied by the Scottish National Wind Orchestra. This was one of those performances that can only be described in superlatives: brilliant, mind- blowing, stupendous, scintillating. To pull off this sort of performance when a sizeable chunk of the audience were either flautists or knew a thing or two New cd about flute-playing, was a real achievement. Forthcoming Urtext and facsimile edition Flûtes en Route, a fine flute quartet from the RSAMD, Performance guide by Rachel Brown played a short programme of the familiar and the not-so- Keyboard realisation by Terence Charlston familiar, with ease and insight. In a very busy schedule, Lecture recital launch Sheena Gordon conducted BFS and RSAMD flute choirs Royal College of Music, London in performances of Bartok’s Romanian Dances and Fauré’s 6pm Friday 19th November 2010 Cantique de Jean Racine. For the Fauré there were twenty- seven C flutes and a piano assembled on stage. It was note- To listen to tracks from the cd and place orders, and breath-perfect, only missing alto and bass flutes. How to subscribe to the edition the flute choir parts disappeared and were rediscovered please visit in black bin bags minutes before the performance began www.rachelbrownflute.com is an experience that Sheena will surely not wish to relive! by September 17th

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News •

BFS and Trinity Laban Mini-Festival Old Royal Naval College and St. Alfege Church Greenwich, London 28 and 29 October 2010

The British Flute Society and Trinity Laban to be able to bring this festival home to this special Conservatoire of Music and Dance are delighted to conservatoire and look forward to creating many present a collaborative Flute Festival in the stun- more inspired opportunities through the British Flute ning baroque setting of the Old Royal Naval College Society, for students and teachers alike, in the future.’ in Greenwich. Across two days in October, the site Ian Mitchell, Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion will be a hub of activity for classical music and flute at Trinity Laban, says: ‘We’re thrilled to be present- enthusiasts, with a programme of performances, ing this festival in partnership with the British Flute masterclasses, talks and trade stands culminating in a Society. It will provide a creatively stimulating meeting rare UK performance from the festival’s guest inter- point for flautists who are at the forefront of their field national artist, acclaimed Dutch flautist and com- and the next generation of performers and teachers, poser Wil Offermans. while hopefully opening up flute music to a wider Wil Offermans is known for his creative and con- audience with a programme that embraces everything temporary approach to performance and teaching. from classical to contemporary via Cuban repertoire.’ His compositions have been performed by renowned Advance tickets for the festival are available from the flautists and flute ensembles around the world, and British Flute Society website www.bfs.org.uk or by while his music is quickly entering into the main- calling 020 8668 3360. stream repertoire, it has rarely been performed in the UK. For the festival’s closing concert at St. Alfege Wil Offermans. Church, Friday, 7.00 p.m., he will give a special recital of music rehearsed during the festival alongside a flute choir and British Flute Society participants. Further festival highlights include Emer McDonough (principal flute of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) performing repertoire by Blavet, Debussy and Prokofiev; Anna Noakes performing with Cuban Lift; and contemporary flute ensemble Ayre Flutes, made up of past and present Trinity Laban students. Visitors can also enjoy talks from Julian Coward, who shares a wealth of experience from his career in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and beyond, and Lynda Coffin on the personalities and schools that have shaped modern flute playing. Many of these leading musicians will also be hosting masterclasses with Trinity Laban students, which members of the public are invited to attend. Wissam Boustany, Chairman of the British Flute Society, says: ‘I spent ten years teaching at Trinity Laban. Having stood down recently, I am delighted www.bfs.org.uk 5 flute•

BFS/Trinity Laban Flute Festival Wil Thursday 28 and Friday 29 October 2010 Offermans Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College Emer Greenwich, London, SE10 9JF McDonough The festival is delighted to present the Dutch flautist/composer Wil Offermans as its guest international artist along with Trinity Laban’s own Emer McDonough, Anna Noakes, Lynda Coffin and Julian Coward. There will be a wide range of activities including recitals, masterclasses and workshops; as well as flute choirs and trade stands. The event culminates with a final evening recital given by Wil Offermans.

A leaflet and booking form is included with this magazine. For further information and to book visit: www.bfs.org.uk

Anna Noakes e British Flute Society

5 pm, Sunday 31 October 2010 Duke’s Hall BFS/RAM Premier Flautist Series one hour recital, immediately followed by a one hour Royal Academy of Music question and answer session with the artist Marylebone Road e London NW1 5HT British Flute Society Jean Ferrandis Schumann Three Romances Op. 11 Beethoven ‘Spring’ Sonata Op. 24 Franck Sonata in A

Ticket information Members of the British Flute Society £15 Non-members £25 (non-members’ rate includes one year’s free BFS membership)

Box Office Telephone: 020 7873 7373 Online booking: www.ram.ac.uk Aleksander Szram, piano

6 September 2010 flute•

News •

The British Flute Society BFS and RAM Flute Competitions Premier Flautist Series Jean Ferrandis Wednesday 23 February 2011 Regent Hall, The Salvation Army 31 October 2010 275 Oxford Street London, W1C 2DJ The BFS is delighted to be launching a new, highly prestigious concert series: the BFS-RAM Premier BFS School Performer 2011 Flautist Series. These recitals will be given by the for performers under the age of 19 years leading flautists of the day, many of them coming from abroad, allowing us a glimpse into the diversity of flute playing around the world. These concerts will take place three times a year at 5 p.m. on Sundays, in the beautiful Duke’s Hall at the Royal Academy of Music. The concept of these prestigious concerts is simple: the invited artist gives a one-hour recital which is immediately followed by a one-hour question and answer session with the audience. That’s it! This allows us to hear inspired playing while stealing a BFS Young Artist 2011 glimpse into the way the artist thinks and works, with for performers under the age of 25 years no added frills or distractions. We hope that having the concerts on Sundays will help attract audiences from outside London. The inaugural recital is to be given by the French flautist, Jean Ferrandis. Please put these dates in your Closing date for entries: diaries:

21 January 2011 BFS/RAM Premier Flautist Series—the first season:

31 October 2010 Jean Ferrandis

6 March 2011 Stefan Hoskuldsson

19 June 2011 Lorna McGhee For further information and to download an application form visit: The pianist will be Aleksander Szram. www.bfs.org.uk Please note that the BFS-Trinity Laban Festival is taking place on A leaflet and booking form Thursday and Friday 28 and 29 October 2010, featuring special e will be included with the guest Wil Offermans as well as Emer McDonough, Anna Noakes, British Flute December 2010 issue of this magazine. Society Lynda Coffin and Julian Coward. Some of you might like to combine these two events, if you are coming from outside London. www.bfs.org.uk 7 flute•

• News

Flute choir news

An Orchestra Emerges

Margaret Lowe writes,

On Sunday, 2 March 2008, a group of sixteen profes- Downes, as well as two works by the American sionally-trained flautists met for the very first time composers Kathleen Mayne and Kelly Via. at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, to play together After two years of rehearsing, the National Flute under the baton of Kenneth Bell and to explore the Orchestra has given enjoyment of music to others. It repertory of large flute ensembles. This group had has grown musically, as well as in size and reputation. travelled from all over the country and brought with It has in truth emerged as an orchestra. them flutes of all sizes, from the piccolo down to the contrabass. On Saturday 13 February 2010 this same Blooming Flutes group of flautists, by now known as the National Flute Orchestra, played its inaugural concert at St. Blooming Flutes Flute Choir is for adults currently Thomas’s church in Stourbridge, West Midlands. learning the flute and those returning to the instru- The programme chosen was a mixture of old and ment in later life. There are so few opportunities for new, traditional and modern, which fully exploited adult learners to share and develop their music in the players, including works by Boismortier, a supportive, sympathetic and friendly atmosphere. Humperdinck’s and by the English composer Andrew This group has been developing gradually since 2005, based in rural Exmoor, and has become an abso- Blooming Flutes. (Left to right) Back row: Ruth Mounfield, Val Stuart, Liz Avery, Sue Fletcher (Director). Front row: Stuart lute must for those who attend. They find the whole Lawrence, Janet Daley, Gill Capps, Ronnie Bourouba. experience truly uplifting and a great antidote to life’s stresses and strains. Funding is always a significant issue, but recently Blooming Flutes received the news that they had been successful in their grant application from a local arts consortium, Artlife. Artlife, supported by West Somerset Council, aims to place the arts at the core of the community. They offer grants for creative projects which bring people together from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. Blooming Flutes were delighted to receive their recognition and their financial support.

8 September 2010 flute•

Kenneth Smith (flute) and Paul Rhodes (piano) New Release: “A Song without Words - The Legacy of Paul Taffanel”

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Music by Taffanel, Gluck, Reinecke, Catherine, Fauré, Mouquet, Saint-Saëns, de Grandval, Bernard, Borne, Lefèbvre, Chopin, Reynaud, de Bériot, Barrère, Doyen, Bruneau, Durand, Doppler, Widor - and Mendelssohn. Full track details are available on our website Divine Art DDA 21371 - 3 CDs at midprice - and all brand new recordings.

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Saturday 11 December 2010 Professor Robert Winn Saturday Principal flute of the RPO between 1985 and 1999, Robert has worked with most of the major 22 January 2011 British symphony orchestras, LSO, LPO, BBCSO, Emily Beynon Philharmonia and also COE, RSO Berlin, Frankfurt Emily is principal flute of the Royal Concertgebouw Radio Symphony, and the Köln Radio Symphony. Orchestra, Amsterdam. One class £25.00, students/concession £20.00 Both classes £45.00, students/concession £35 Online booking form address: theforge.justflutes.com www.forgevenue.org

Series supported by Altus Flutes and Just Flutes www.bfs.org.uk 9 flute•

News •

Letters to the editor BFS email newsletters

Flute players in the regions To ensure you get the latest BFS newsletters., please make certain we have your up-to-date email address From Christopher Steward, Birmingham by writing to [email protected].

I am writing to express my appreciation of the series of articles on flute-players in various parts of the UK. New websites It is fascinating to read of past and present flute activ- ity outside one’s own sphere, and it seems particularly appropriate that the BFS should present a record of A selection of about 120 prints from Dayton C. Miller’s such British activity, both for present-day readers and collection of images of musical instruments has been for researchers of the future. Through its magazine put up on the Library of Congress website: the Society has presented the fruit of much historical http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/ research, and it is to be hoped that its preservation miller/miller-home.html will be continue to be regarded as one of its numer- This wonderful website is the work of Jan ous responsibilities. Lancaster, who wrote an article about the collection in the March 2007 issue. The images are available as From Kenneth Smith, Poole and London high-resolution downloads. Long-time BFS member Stuart Scott, author of the I enjoyed the article on the Bournemouth Symphony book Hallé Flutes, has produced a flute history website: Orchestra flute players in the June issue of Flute. For www.flutehistory.co.uk the sake of completeness, may I mention a few players This site includes information on the flautists of the who were omitted? Hallé Orchestra, on the flautists of the Royal Italian John Braddock had been the piccolo player when I Opera, Covent Garden, on the flautists who played joined the BSO in 1973 and had been in the Hallé before. Rudall Carte flutes and on the flautists of the Imperial He is now living in South Wales, having retired from Theatre, St. Petersburg. The site includes information the orchestra just before I left for the Philharmonia. on many nineteenth-century flute players. Christine (Whitfield) Messiter was my predecessor as second flute in the BSO before she moved to the BBC Symphony Orchestra as co-principal. Clarissa Melville, who now lives in Australia, was second flute February flute days in the BSO before Christine. Lamond Clelland was second flute in the BSO before Clarissa. The South West Flute Day, in conjunction with the Michael Hirst was first flute in the Bournemouth British Flute Society Teachers’ Day, will be held Sunday Sinfonietta in 1970. Susan Milan was second flute, 20 February 2011 at Wells Cathedral School, Somerset. and then succeeded him as first before going to the Artists will include Clare Southworth, Sarah Newbold, RPO. Howard Nelson was first flute in the Sinfonietta Lisa Nelson and Carole Jenner-Timms. for many years after Susan Milan. David Eaton was There will be a BFS teachers’ day at Burgess Hill second flute to Howard in the Sinfonietta before School for Girls on the same day, organised by Anne leaving for Scotland. Hodgson. The day will include Dr. Andrea Creech It is good to have some documented evidence sharing her research into instrumental teaching. about players because people do ask and there is There will be discussion forums and flute choir ses- nothing to refer to. The players I have mentioned, sions, and Willam Boustany will perform in the with the exception of Lamond Clelland, are still alive. evening. More details in the December issue. www.bfs.org.uk 11 flute•

Lillian Burkart The Sound and Feel of Great Design

Burkart Flutes & Piccolos 2 Shaker Road #D107 Shirley, MA 01464 USA Phone: 1-978-425-4500 E-mail: [email protected] The BFS Convention—Manchester, 19–22 August

By Robert Bigio, Thomas Hancox, Alastair Learmont, Tony Ovenell and Anna Pope Photographs by Carla Rees Dawson

he BFS convention in Manchester, lasting four days from 19 August, was the last one to be directed by the estimable Trevor Wye, with the assistance of TJulie Wright, and it was a hugely-successful and fitting send-off for these tire- less organisers. Let me start at the end: a programme of encores was hastily arranged after transport problems prevented the advertised artist from coming to give the evening concert on the last day. This concert had the audience gasping. Rachel Brown, with Adrianne Greenbaum, here playing the harpsichord instead of the flute, performed a ravishing slow movement from a Quantz sonata. Adriana Ferreira, the nineteen- year-old Portuguese winner of the first prize in the Carl Nielsen Competition this year, gave a stunning performance of a virtuoso piece by Andersen. Alena Lugovkina, who is all of twenty years old, played Roland Revell’s Trois Pensées, with style, verve, astonishing virtuosity and with the most winning stage personality. Zoya Vyasovskaya, another nineteen-year-old, played an arrangement of Paganini’s Twenty-fourth Caprice, in a performance that left the audience open-jawed in amazement. Tomomi Matsuo played an amazing (and unfortunately not identified) work in which she played the Trevor Wye. flute with her left hand and the piano with her right. Jean-Louis Beaumadier wowed the audience, as ever, with some virtuoso piccolo playing. Kayako Minamino dazzled with her arrangement of Wieniawski’s Scherzo-Tarantelle, and Marco Granados, ever- popular with BFS audiences, performed some astonishing energetic and virtuosic Venezuelan music. This breathtaking concert left us all in no doubt as to the quality of music-making in the flute world. Julie Wright. What follows is a round-up of reviews written by a group of writers (Thomas Hancox, Alastair Learmont and Anna Pope), who worked quickly to produce their work in time to get this issue into print. In addition, Tony Ovenell has written a general round-up of the convention. I cannot express enough gratitude for these hard-working folk. This is, of course, not a complete review of every performance— there were so many events that such a review would fill more pages than are available in the entire magazine. Robert Bigio

Jottings from the 2010 Convention By Tony Ovenell

Just as we have come to expect, the 2010 convention swung into action with well- oiled efficiency and what unfolded over the four days of the festival was a simply stupendous celebration of the ‘art and science of flute playing’ as the BFS constitu- tion rather quaintly puts it.

www.bfs.org.uk 13 flute•

What matters most to me in any performance (taking accuracy and appropriate tonal control for granted) is that it should have an overriding sense of musical integrity. Rachel Brown’s revelatory performances provided this in spades in her playing of the Quantz sonatas, works for which she has become such an ardent and persuasive advocate. She brings to each performance not only an intense sense of musical involvement, but also a hugely authoritative awareness of the musical context in which the works were produced. She draws us into each performance, inviting us to share with her each exquisitely-crafted phrase and expressively-drawn line in a way that is utterly enthralling. For me, these were matchless moments of true musical beauty which I feel privileged and grateful to have heard and enjoyed. Fortunately for this event, musical pleasures are to be found and enjoyed in many different ways and on many different levels. If the excitement and thrill of almost inconceivable technical wizardry is what does it for you, then you would be well satisfied with this convention which surely surpassed any other in this department. The sheer technical brilliance of much of the playing was truly astounding. First in Rachel Brown. this regard, with his stellar reputation and prominence, comes of course Emmanuel Pahud. It would be fair to say that, despite having to follow an enormously impressive warm-up act from Alena Lugovkina, he did not disappoint one iota. His virile playing with its powerful sound and wide range of attack was balanced by some fantastic upper note pianissimos and some truly gorgeous phrasing, especially in Lensky’s aria from Eugene Onegin. He has bags of charisma and charm and his passionate involvement with the music was clear for all to see in his rather engaging platform choreography. What a feast we had on this Saturday night because before all this, Alena had given us some ravishing Debussy (Beau Soir) and some heartfelt Russian pathos in her Rachmaninov Elegia. It was good still to hear traces of that typically milky Russian warmth retained within her tone, and I hope she continues to hold on to that quality, despite the pressure she must feel to go in other directions. Incidentally, I did feel that with many of the young performers, there did seem to be a rather heavy emphasis on trying to produce a huge sound, almost, at times, whatever the cost. The resultant coarsening of tone was not often of benefit to the music! Perhaps this is to some extent the influence of Pahud, whose gigantic tone is Emmanuel Pahud. Alena Lugovkina. really only allowed out fleetingly and when the musical context permits. A lesson to be learnt here I feel. This traditional Russian quality of tone was pretty much ironed-out of Zoya Vyazovskaya’s otherwise astonishing recital on the Friday afternoon. Called in at only a few hours’ notice, she delivered a delightfully spontaneous and unaffected performance of the Reinecke Sonata, followed by some hair-raising arrangements of well-known violin repertoire. The slow movement of the Barber Violin Concerto was particularly affecting, conveying its limpid beauty in a simple and direct way that spoke to the heart. Elsewhere the tone had a steely edge which was absolutely ideal in the Paganini Caprice she played in the final concert. I am not fully convinced by the apparent trend of young players this year to present mainstream repertoire from other instruments (especially the violin) in arrangements. I can readily appreciate the value of playing such repertoire in terms of the study of the flute, extending technical and tonal boundaries, and I will admit that playing neglected repertoire originally written for other instruments (as Alena did) can often uncover worthwhile concert material, but to play such core,

14 September 2010 flute• well-known violin repertoire on the flute is surely a rather self-defeating exercise. I am discounting here pieces like the Paganini Caprices, which are really owned by many instruments, so widely have they been appropriated. As was shown in Lakasz Dlugosz’s lively recital, there is still quality repertoire out there to discover. I enjoyed Tadeusz Szeligowski’s Sonata, which he played with conviction and panache. This piece deserves a lot more exposure. I also very much enjoyed Katherine Bryan’s well-balanced programme of standard works framing a scintillating performance of Takemitsu’s Voice. She gave this her all and it was a characteristic of her performance throughout that she really acted the music in her playing, uncovering drama, passion and mystery not only here in the Takemitsu but also in that old warhorse, the Hüe Fantaisie, which came up gleaming just like new. One slightly surprising, but very welcome feature of this convention, was the apparent and continuing reassessment now taking place of our wonderful English flute-making heritage. In particular there is clearly a good deal of interest now being Taylor MacLennan, shown in the beautiful instruments made by Rudall Carte, as was evidenced by the full turn-out for William Bennett, Trevor Wye and Carla Rees’s short recital using some of these fine old instruments. Particularly touching was the Schubert Serenade played by Carla on an early alto by Rudall Carte, made in 1907. It had such a gloriously sweet tone, I was quite moved. Robert Bigio’s two presentations were also absolutely fascinating, not just on the history of this firm and the part it played in the development of flute design and manufacture, but also as a commentary on the social history of the time and the role that the flute played in cultured society. I suspect that there is even more research to be undertaken in this area, but we shall find out more when Robert’s book on the firm comes out in the autumn. Could it be that the best of the Rudall Carte flutes still surviving will be accorded the kind of reverence at present only reserved for Louis Lot’s justly acclaimed examples? It was good to see the prize-winners from the BFS competitions making an appearance at the convention as the near fully-fledged young artists that they are. Jessica Kabirat did something few if any of the other performers did—she played entirely from memory. Her Dutilleux Sonatine had poise and the flowing cantilenas were especially attractive. Taylor MacLennan had the necessary brittleness of Jessica Kabirat. Holly Melia. attack in Messiaen’s Le Merle Noir, but one suspects Holly Melia might have chosen a different piece for this space had she known what to expect. She coped bravely in her Takemitsu but all three soloists were severely hampered by the deadly dry acoustic and the cramped, rather oppressive atmosphere of the Studio Theatre. This was not a good venue for these less experienced players who really needed a more supportive ambience in a larger space. This rather hastily put-together round-up of impressions can only but scratch the surface of what was an utterly involving and at times thrilling convention. I would like to have detailed some of the wonderful ensemble playing we heard from the Germans, the Italians and the Japanese. Then there were the curiously addictive early-morning flute yoga sessions as well as the greatly enjoyable chances actually to play the flute in the flute choir sessions. There was truly an abundance of riches. As ever we were graced by the presence of William Bennett (his matchless creamy tone still pours forth, apparently without effort) and Trevor Wye, who, as keeper of the Convention Rule Book, ensures that artists do not step out of line and that all runs www.bfs.org.uk 15 flute•

smoothly out front even if things are not going quite to plan behind the scenes. We will miss Trevor, and Julie Wright, too, in 2012, but we have valuable continuity in Carla Rees and of course in the gentle but firm guiding hand of Wissam Boustany. If I had one regret, it was that Wissam had ruled himself out of taking a performing role. We missed his wonderfully charismatic performances and I very much hope he will reconsider that decision next time.

Thomas Hancox writes,

Emmanuel Pahud. There were several standing ovations at this convention, but none of the rapidity or overwhelming consensus as was received at Emmanuel Pahud’s recital. The Swiss-French flautist needs no real introduction, his story is so well known: appointed at the age of twenty-two as the principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic on the back of his studies at the Paris Conservatoire and competition wins in Kobe, Geneva and Duino, he has subsequently enjoyed the career as occupier William Bennett. of the world’s most sought-after flute chair and as an international soloist. His programme comprised opera transcriptions (after his recent release with Yannick Nézet-Seguin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Fantasy: A Night at the Opera), with the addition of Fauré’s ever-charming Fantaisie. The virtuosity was abundant, as were some rather hysterical (and sometimes distracting) gestures, as Pahud passed through each fiendish assortment and embellishment of various operas’ principal themes with ease and brilliance. Pahud’s tonal strength made this programme all the more operatic, the breadth of sound, particularly in the lowest register, reaching almost unfathomable levels. Alena Lugovkina, fresh from her own dazzling programme, joined Pahud in the Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. So successful was this com- bination that, for the inevitable encores, given the hugely enthusiastic reception of Pahud’s concert, the duo returned (accompanied by the indefatigable Timothy Carey) with Emil Kronke’s Deux Papillons, a beguiling and effervescent treat, written by this former student of Reinecke to showcase both the flute’s lyrical and extrovert possibilities. In many ways, this was the highlight of the evening, two staggering Kayako Minamino. Adriana Ferreira. flutes being better than one.

Rachel Brown and Małgorzata Wojciechowska. Rachel Brown is certainly the queen of the traverso. With a tonal palette that ranges from the most wonderfully robust sound, to colours of such melting beauty, paired with a technique consisting of unsurpassable finger-work and such varied articulation, one wonders why anyone ever looked to supplant the traverso at all. Her programme with Małgorzata Wojciechowska was a mixture of duet items and solo works. The culmination of the recital was the Simphonie from Marin Marais’ Pièces de Trio in D major, which provided a gentle and well-judged conclusion, its radiant phrases blooming and then passing in the most poetic manner. Rachel presented a selection of movements from her recent research into many of the unknown and unexamined sonatas by Quantz, held in archive in Berlin, which she has both recorded and published. This is first-rate music and demands perfor- mances of an according standard. Rachel delivered everything that could have been wished for, and more, particularly in the supremely virtuosic second movement of

16 September 2010 flute• the G minor sonata (No. 336), Allegro di molto mà fiero, whose relentless passagework swept the audience along at an exhilarating tempo and with terrifying intensity.

Jan Boland with Red Cedar Chamber Music. The flute theorist and writer Richard Shepherd Rockstro said of the music of Gaspard Kummer (1795—1870), that he ‘knew of no [other] composer for the flute whose work is of such uniform excel- lence’. This performance, given by American-based chamber music group Red Cedar Chamber Music, made a compelling case for the music. Based around the musical partnership of flautist Jan Boland and guitarist John Dowdall, Red Cedar Chamber Music was founded in Iowa in 1997 and exists to perform a balance of early and avant-garde music. For this concert of two works by Kummer—his Quintetto (Op. 75) for two flutes, viola, cello and guitar, and his Serenade (Op. 81) for flute, viola and guitar—the ensemble was augmented by flautist Douglas Worthen, violist David Miller and cellist Loretta O’Sullivan. This instrumentation alone, irrespective of the added warmth of the gut strings and other historical fea- Jan Boland and John Dowdall. tures, is charming and inviting, and the sound of the ensemble in both works was well-blended and refined. The performances were pleasantly understated; there was no need for anything particularly extrovert in this music and accordingly it was not forced upon it. This was a musical presentation of these gently pleasing works.

Samuel Coles. As the only ever British prize-winner in the Jean-Pierre Rampal Competitions to date, Samuel Coles is certainly one of the country’s finest musical exports. A student at both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Paris Conservatoire, he has performed with orchestras including the Orchestre de Paris, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, alongside his appointment as solo flute of Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine in 1989. His career has also been marked by competition wins, such as the Scheveningen International Flute Competition and the National Flute Association Young Artists’ Competition. Given this biography, the programme he delivered was in many ways of no sur- prise (and one of the few of the convention to be played from memory). A perfect marriage of musical taste and a refined and dazzling technique made for a captivating Samuel Coles. Andy Findon. musical argument, even making the somewhat disparate Schubert Variations an intel- ligible whole. Samuel’s choice of pianist in the young American, Andrew Brownell, was a bril- liant decision. Brownell, already with a distinguished curriculum vitae including per- formances with ensembles such as the Wihan and Škampa Quartets and concerto engagements with the Hallé and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, was a sen- sational pianist and instinctive accompanist. The other work in the programme was a quasi-premiere by French composer Pierre Thilloy. Samuel had met Thilloy when they were fulfilling jury service in France in 2009. When Samuel discovered that his civic colleague was a composer, he suggested that he wrote a complementary theme and variations. Unfortunately, Thilloy has not yet completed the successive variations, and so only the theme was presented. It was an incongruous coupling with the Schubert, but the theme itself is highly cryptic and one can imagine many far-reaching and imaginative investigations coming forth—at the 2012 convention, perhaps? www.bfs.org.uk 17 flute•

Silvia Careddu—Sur les traces de Debussy. Themed recitals have the potential to be much more appealing than the standard potpourri models so often encountered— the audience is invited to engage with a common thread that unifies the works, the reward being a scintillating musical journey. Silvia Careddu’s recital programme was to do just this, revealing the traces of Debussy’s influence on subsequent flute works: Roussel’s Joueurs de flûte; Dutilleux’s Sonatine; Takemitsu’s Air and Martin’s Ballade. The principal flute of Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Careddu’s pedigree is impec- cable. After studying at the Cagliari and Paris Conservatoires and also with Raymond Guiot in Rome, she went on to win major competitions in Geneva, Villecroze and Rome, as well as working with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, WDR Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. Her playing, unsurprisingly perhaps, was thus a combination of sensitive sound, superb tech- nique and refined artistry. While there was nothing by way of a programme note or even an oral intro- duction, the young Sardinian’s playing left no doubt as to the impressionist herit- Silvia Careddu. age of these works. From the dazzling examples of arabesque technique as exhib- ited in the Takemitsu to the harmonic and colourful haze of the mirages cast in the Dutilleux, the shadow of Debussy was easily observed, articulated clearly by Careddu’s performance. This was all relatively understated playing, with incredible piano control. It was the Takemitsu that was most successful work of the programme—sustained and beauti- ful mastery of his ever-slow lines. This was a demonstration of ultimate mastery of the instrument and musical commitment.

Alastair Learmont writes,

Gareth McLearnon. A native of Belfast, Gareth McLearnon, with Timothy Carey (piano), performed a varied recital which reflected diverse—even disparate—musical interests. It was in many senses a musical self-portrait: Irish music comprising the first half of the concert and contemporary work, including McLearnon’s own composition Circadian Rhythms, taking up the second. McLearnon, playing without music, performed with great Gareth McLearnon. Paul Edmund-Davies. freedom, communicating well with the audience. He began the recital with Hamilton Harty’s In Ireland, its introduction attractively sonorous. Two traditional Irish melodies, Down by the Salley Gardens and Danny Boy, both arranged by McLearnon, followed. These were good choices. The unadorned simplicity of their melodies is irresistible and in a sense gives the performer a head start. Mclearnon exhibited some beautiful tone colour and judicious tempo. In ‘the most beautiful tune in the world’ (Danny Boy), he didn’t for a moment let the tempo drag. This was a recital full of good old-fashioned Irish charm, not least in the traditional Belfast Irish hornpipe, arranged by McLearnon for whistle and piano and composed for Sir James Galway’s sixty-fifth birthday. Attending a rock concert McLearnon was attracted to the possibilities represented by an RC 50 Loop station. In Circadian Rhythms he set out to emulate the rhythms of the body, building up a sixteen-part flute choir, by use of electric looping. The music had a mushrooming effect, one layer being added to the next: first alto, then bass, then piccolo, then flute. The effect was of ever-increasing sound. Sometimes I felt there was too much of it. Perhaps this was the desired effect. A former Guildhall student of Ian Clarke, McLearnon concluded the concert with Zoom Tube. This was a recital where McLearnon’s engaging personality shone through.

18 September 2010 flute•

Nicolas Duchamp. Nicolas Duchamp gave us a genuinely charming overview of the life of Philippe Gaubert, through both performance and film. The story goes that Paul Taffanel’s father, captivated by the sound of a mellifluous flute, interrupted his morning stroll to knock on the door of a complete stranger and there found the young Gaubert. And so student passed from father to son. Over the past year, with the assistance of the Gaubert family, Nicolas Duchamp has done much to promote the life of Gaubert. With the assistance of members of Gaubert’s family he has produced Gaubert Vivant, a film celebrating the life of the great Frenchman. Yvette, Gaubert’s ninety-two-year-old daughter-in-law, is a delightful and spirited racon- teur, giving much insight into Gaubert the musician and bon vivant. For the conven- tion Duchamp combined extracts of the film with some exceptional playing, using Gaubert’s own 1874 Louis Louis (number 1986). By his exquisite playing Duchamp captured the poetry and colour of the foremost representative of French flute playing from the 1890s to the 1920s.

Nicolas Duchamp. Patrick Williams. Complementing Nicholas Duchamp’s fine introduction the pre- vious evening, Patrick Williams encouraged us to look into further into Philippe Gaubert’s repertoire. A well-selected series of recordings gave us an insight into Gaubert as both player and composer. Unfairly, perhaps, we tend to underrate Gaubert, forgetting the sheer extent and variety of his work. His output was prodi- gious. He composed eighteen major orchestral works including four ballets, a sym- phony and a violin concerto. As a composer and conductor he had an instinctive understanding of orchestration. As Williams shrewdly pointed out, Gaubert was very much a product of his time. If there had been no Taffanel, there would have been no Gaubert. Patrick Williams has certainly given us more to think about regarding Gaubert’s repertoire.

Francesa Arnone. Francesca Arnone treated us to an enthralling survey of the life and work of the English composer William Alwyn (1905–1985), culminating in a beautiful performance with Christine Kefferstan of his Sonata for flute and piano. The son of enlightened and artistic parents, William Alwyn Smith, as he was origi- nally known, was a precocious and prolific composer. He produced his first work Patrick Williams. Tim Carey. for piccolo at the age of eight. ‘One word danced through my head,’ he later wrote ,‘musician, musician, musician’. In his maturity, his work became associated with the golden age of British cinema. From the 1940s to the 1960s he produced some 200 film scores as well as five symphonies and an opera. But, as Francesca Arnone suggested, Alwyn should very much be regarded as a flute-player’s composer. He studied the flute with Daniel S. Wood at the Royal Academy of Music where he won a number of prizes. Until Wood raised the matter directly with him, Alwyn kept his love for composition a secret. Hostile to the restraints of his outward Englishness, it was through music that he could express his feelings freely. The one movement for flute and piano (1948), with its sinuous opening, is a singular declaration of emotion, full of fascinating complexity. As readers will be aware (Pan June 2009) the piano and flute parts became separated soon after the first performance by Gareth Morris and Ernest Lush but the work has been reconstructed in editions by Christopher Hyde-Smith (2006) and more recently Kenneth Smith and Paul Rhodes (2009). Francesca Arnone encouraged us to look further at the Three Easy Pieces for Flute (1931), www.bfs.org.uk 19 flute•

Divertimento for Flute (1939)—‘the most outrageous (thing) I could compose…a fugue for solo flute’— Naides for Flute and Harp (1970) and, a late work, the Concerto for Flute and Winds (1980). This comparatively unknown composer deserves greater recognition by flute players.

Stewart McIlwham. Stewart McIlwham, currently principal piccolo of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, gave a recital of meticulous and well-crafted piccolo playing showing exactly what the instrument can do. The programme ranged from the radical, contemporary music of George Santakis’s Favoreto the delightful Marionettes from Glazunov’s Scène de Ballet. This was piccolo playing of the highest calibre.

Katherine Bryan. Katherine Bryan, with Scott Mitchell (piano) gave a highly intel- ligent absolutely compelling performance of two works at the heart of French romantic flute repertoire, the Hüe Fantaisie and the Poulenc Sonata, set against the more contemporary work of Toru Takemitsu. Katherine Bryan has an instinctive Stewart McIlwham. sense of the narrative power of music. With the added freedom of playing without music, she took the audience into her confidence as her story unfolded. There was absolutely no sense of her somehow getting in the way of music. Takemitsu’s Voice presents the performer with a number of highly technical challenges: quasi flutter tonguing; shouting, speaking and playing; strong accents as on the Japanese Noh flute. To all these technical challenges, Katherine Bryan brought a real sense of cho- reographed performance and, once more, that wonderful sense of musical narrative: the contrasts, the changes of tempo, the sense of internal dialogue. This was a highly musical performance by an outstandingly talented young flute player.

Quintessenz. In a delightfully humorous recital, Quintessenz demonstrated that their remit is both to entertain and perform. Founded fourteen years ago, the group comprises five solo flautists from three distinguished German orchestras. One of their great attributes is that they communicate and share with their audience a real sense of enjoyment and fun. This was a recital which showed them at their humor- ous and virtuosic best. Beethoven’s Für Elise—a paraphrase—was a brilliant take-off, Karherine Bryan. Quintessenz. effortlessly performed and choreographed, of the individual musician attempting to hijack the chamber group and, musically, have the last word. Its well-known introduction, rather than providing a vehicle for unity was used as means of one flute player vigorously asserting herself or himself against another. The result—physical argy-bargy and a never-ending introduction—was pure comedy. In the end, after ‘a have it your own way’ standoff, Ute Günther ‘won’ only to be left abandoned on stage by her four disgruntled col- leagues—as much a chamber musician’s dream as his or her nightmare. On the contrary, the essence of Quintessenz, as it were, is five highly-virtuosic flute players melding into an extraordinarily cohe- sive chamber group. Piccolo player Gudrun Hinze’s arrangement of Doppler’s Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise

20 September 2010 flute• is a case in point. Here the melodic theme was seamlessly passed from one player to another. By way of contrast the group, joined by percussion and bass guitarist, turned their attention to South American dance music arranged by Alberto Arantes. This was flute playing of the highest quality. The recital marked the welcome return to the convention of a hugely talented flute quintet who epitomise humour, charm and the ability to entertain.

Anna Pope writes,

Zoya Vyazovskaya. For me the most startling concert of the convention was given at a few hours’ notice (to replace a cancelled event) by Zoya Vyazovskaya and Noriko Sato. Their programme included the most integrated and satisfying performance of the Reinecke Sonata (first two movements) that I have ever heard. I learned after- wards that they had never played together before the rehearsal and Noriko had never seen the music before. Zoya Vyasovskaya. Zoya is from Moscow where she attended music school, beginning with piano at the age of five, then harp, flute (at ten) and also the violin. Each teacher felt she had a future with their instrument, and she attributes her choice to her remarkable flute professor, Roman Markin. However, the piano is equally important and she has recently performed the Reinecke as pianist. She has just completed her first undergraduate year at the Royal Academy of Music where she holds a scholarship to study with William Bennett, and came to wider notice on gaining second prize in the Carl Nielsen Competition. From the first notes I was listening to music rather than flute playing. Zoya has a wonderful range of sound, great delicacy as well as power and drama, and the technique of a virtuoso. In the Reinecke her complete knowledge of the work and technical refinement made flute and piano sound as one, with the watery runs in the first movement and staccato passages in the second exactly matching the piano in colour and articulation. Then the slow movement from Barber’s Violin Concerto showed a different palette of colours, the calm yet expressive long legato lines played with great subtlety and ravishing sounds. Finally a daring borrowing of Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo displayed technical wizardry without ever losing Alexandra Grot. Richard Shaw. sight of the music. There was such vitality in her sound and articulation that I did not miss the stronger attack of the violin. This was an intensely musical and masterly performance that will stay with me.

Alexandra Grot. Alexandra was born in1981 and began the flute at the age of eight at a specialist music school in Moscow. She then studied with Pierre-Yves Artaud in Paris and András Adorján in Munich. She has won many international competitions, including the Carl Nielsen in 2006. She performs regularly in France, Germany, Russia and Denmark and has released a CD of Russian music. At this, her first performance in Britain, she played Dohnanyi’s Passacaglia, and with pianist Irina Lazareva, Allegro concertante in A minor by Vladimir Tsybin (1877–1949). This is the first of three flute concertos (each in one movement) by Tsybin, who is a crucial figure in the history of the flute in Russia. He was steeped in the tradition of late nineteenth-century Russian music and was an all-round musician: composer, conductor and flautist, playing solo flute in both the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theatres. www.bfs.org.uk 21 flute•

As Russia became closed off from foreign influence after the revolution, Tsybin and a few other top players who had themselves studied with foreign, mainly German, musicians, represented a vital link. This work is full of technical brilliance, but always within the context of the music, which is highly expressive; dramatic and lyrical by turns, with big gestures and sweeping melodies. In both pieces Alexandra had total command and the playing was immaculate. Each variation in the Dohnanyi was strongly characterised, and she sailed through all the technical challenges without any loss of impetus or energy. She is of very slight build, yet breathing never seemed an issue. The Tsybin showed the full range of her tone and expressive playing as well as virtuosity. Curiously, her face remained expressionless, very different from when she speaks. I am sure that her commitment to the music of Tsybin will be rewarded by much interest in it here, though matching the quality of her performance will be difficult! Later in the Convention she gave an awe-inspiring performance of Nidi for solo piccolo by Donatoni, a piece needing great delicacy as well as brilliance. By now she seemed to be enjoying herself, and Sarah Jackson. her manner was as communicative as her playing.

Alena Lugovkina. Alena was born in Moscow in 1989 and studied there until coming to London on a scholarship to study with William Bennett. She already has many important international prizes, she won the BFS Performance Plus Competition, and gave her Wigmore Hall debut in January of this year. Her playing is immediately striking for its infectious vitality. Her sound is absolutely huge without ever being forced, and she also has lovely soft colours. Just occasionally this vast dynamic range gave her very slight intonation problems at the extremes, but this was a technically stunning and musically captivating performance. Alena presented an international programme of some of her favourite pieces, starting with a selection from Bartok’s Suite Paysanne Hongroise. From this brilliance, rhythm and bite she turned to warmer and softer colours in a transcription of Beau Soir, a song for soprano by Debussy. Then to the early twentieth-century English composer Roland Revell, who wrote Trois Pensées in 1934 for the flautist Edith Penville. These are engaging pieces, depicting a journey through questioning and doubt to a Jean-Louis Beaumadier. András Adorján.. happy conclusion. An arrangement of Elegia from Rachmaninov’s piano cycle Pièces- fantaisies brought a complete change of mood to great seriousness and drama, and showed the emotional power of her playing. She finished with Boehm’s Fantasy ‘Le Desir’ on a theme by Schubert, a bravura performance which drew such a warm audience response that she played an encore. She introduced the piece, Tarantella by Gavrilin, as ballet music (it was originally written for a film), and she literally danced her way through it.

The Russian Flute: Discussion with Alexandra Grot, Alena Lugovkina and Svetlana Kiktevich. This was a fascinating talk about the state of flute playing and teaching in the Soviet Union and in today’s Russia. Trevor Wye began with an account of his visit to the main conservatoires in the 1980s. He was appalled by the lack of facilities, the tough and restricted lives of the students, and, above all, their instruments. When asked in a newspaper interview what he thought of their flutes, his reply, ‘good for poking the fire’, caused much consternation among the interpret- ers, but did, eventually and surprisingly, get published. He was particularly struck

22 September 2010 flute• by one student, Svetlana Kiktevich, who played very beautifully on a flute that had saxophone springs in the foot joint and required inordinate pressure to function at all. Here began a connection that continues to this day. Alexandra and Alena grew up in post-Soviet Russia and Japanese flutes were becoming available, but music still remains a problem and students use photocopies, sometimes of poor editions. Baroque music in particular was badly edited (much of it by Platonov, whose studies are familiar to us). The situation is improving, and for the first time there are teachers of the baroque flute. The recorder is only used as a beginners’ instrument from age five in preparation for the flute at about ten. Musicianship is taught from a very young age and studying the piano is obligatory for all instrumentalists right through their training. Alexandra described how in nineteenth-century Russia many musicians were from western Europe. Köhler spent half his life in St. Petersburg and Zimmermann was based there for twenty years. Orchestral posts were held mainly by Germans, who taught the first generation of Russians to rise to prominence when, after the Peter Sheridan. revolution, the foreigners left. Chief among these was Alexander Tsybin, composer and flautist, whose works have remained central in the Russian repertoire but were hitherto unknown to us. His writing was in the Russian romantic tradition, his playing was of the German school and the instruments were German Boehm system with open G sharp and reversed B natural and B flat keys. This was the type of flute used until Russia opened up, as the only outside source had been East Germany. Svetlana played the Romance by Alabiev with great musicality, bringing to a close a PUB PAN:PUB PAN 6-05-2010 12:26 Pagina 1 very illuminating and moving talk. •

Sigfrid Karg-Elert Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 30 Caprices op.107 for solo flute 6 Sonatas for flute and piano KV 301-306 (edited by Rien de Reede) Vol. I + Vol. II (edited by Konrad Hünteler) Sigfrid Karg-Elert Carl Frühling Sonata Appassionata op.140 for solo flute Fantasie op. 55 for flute and piano (edited by Rien de Reede) (edited by Emily Beynon)

Viotti Gianella Mercadante Marco Buongiorno Nardelli 3 duetti italiani for two flutes Gradus at Linos (edited by Rien de Reede) Technical exercises on Chant de Linos Johann Joachim Quantz Nardini Dôthel Giordani Mancinelli 6 sonatas for two flutes op. 5 4 duetti italiani for two flutes (edited by Rien de Reede) (edited by Rien de Reede)

Francesco Santucci Francesco Santucci Difficile ma possibile for flute and piano Serenata e Tango for flute and piano (bass and drums ad libitum) Honorable Mention at NFA 2010 Winner of NFA 2010 Newly Published Music Newly Published Music Competition Competition Visit our booth (#100) at NFA convention SUMMER SPECIAL FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS RECEIVED BEFORE JULY 31ST www.riverberisonori.it tel/fax + 39 06 44 70 32 90 www.bfs.org.uk 23 flute•

Convention snapshots

Four of the helpers who made the event run so smoothly.

Above: The Magnum Trio.

Left to right: Marco Granados, Matthew Lynch and Anne Hodgson.

More convention pictures by Carla Rees Dawson are available at www.carlareesdawson.co.uk

24 September 2010 flute•

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26 September 2010 flute•

John Radcliff and the Antipodes

By John Wion

hen I was a young student in Melbourne, Australia in the 1950s the name Radcliff Wwas known to me from my teacher, Leslie Barklamb, a student of the great John Amadio who played a Rudall Carte flute with a modified Boehm system, known as the Radcliff System. As my horizons broadened I discovered that, before Amadio, John Lemmoné, the first Australian flute player to receive international acclaim, also had played the Radcliff model. The principal flute in Melbourne, Richard Chugg, played a Radcliff, and the principal in the theatre where I got one of my first jobs, Americo Gagliardi, played Radcliff—even my slightly older colleague David Cubbin had started on Radcliff. The Adelaide-born, German-trained Alfred Bohm (1866– 1947) played Radcliff flutes, as did Keith Yelland (1900– 1973), a younger teacher and performer in Adelaide. And Jimmy Watson, whose wine bar I frequented as a student, had earlier in his life been a Radcliff-playing professional. This, in retrospect, seemed rather unusual. Then recently I was made aware that John Radcliff had actually visited Australia, a fact apparently unknown to any living Australian flute player, and the question rose as to whether these facts were related. John Radcliff was one of the pre-eminent English flute players of his time. He was born in Liverpool on John Radcliff, from the 6 December 1841, the youngest son of Charles and Mary Anne (Richardson) Radcliff. first edition of his flute tutor. Interestingly, he is Charles, a watch- and chronometer-maker, is reported to have been an amateur flute shown holding a Pratten’s player, as were his sons. John showed a precocious talent and became a student of Perfected flute rather than Samuel Percival, a graduate of the Royal Academy in London and the principal flute his own Radcliff Model. of the Liverpool orchestra. (Photograph courtesy of John Radcliff gave his first public performance at the age of twelve at Birkenhead, Tony Bingham.) according to his obituary, and played the following year at the Crystal Palace in London. In December that year ‘Master Radcliff’ was listed as one of five soloists at a concert in Liverpool—‘we shall have an astonishing performance on the flute by the youthful Master Radcliff,’ said the Liverpool Mercury. In January 1856 Radcliff was advertised as ‘the

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extraordinary boy flutist who created such a sensation at the Crystal Palace.’ And in December ‘the celebrated flau- John Radcliff’s entry in the tist’ (just turned fifteen) played varia- Royal Academy of Music tions on The Carnival of Venice. entrance register, 1837–1873. Young Radcliff was recommended to the Royal Academy of Music in London Used by permission of the by George Rudall of Rudall, Rose & Carte Co., and was accepted for study with Royal Academy of Music. Benjamin Wells in 1857 when he was fifteen. It was noted that he had ‘some talent’. In addition to the flute he studied piano, harmony, and composition. He made such progress that he graduated after one year with the distinction of being appointed an Associate; he would eventually become a Member. In 1862 The Era reported of an RAM student concert that special mention had to be made of ‘J.R. Radcliff’s bril- liant and skilful execution of a difficult concerto (Molique).’ (It is not known when the initial R was added to his name; it did not appear on his birth certificate.) And two years later, in the first performance of G.A. Macfarren’s concerto, ‘Mr. Radcliff, who is a master of his instrument, went through (its beautiful passages) excellently. He was repeatedly and loudly applauded and these marks of approval were fully deserved.’ Perhaps more important to his career was praise in the Daily News in 1862 for his public demonstration of Rudall, Rose, & Carte’s gold flute. ‘It is asserted that the beautiful clear tone…was attributable to the costly material of the instrument, but whether or no that may be true, the effect was very charming. It may be interest- ing to flute amateurs to learn that this unique instrument, made of eighteen and a John Wion was the principal half carat gold, may be purchased for about a hundred and thirty guineas.’ (This is flute of the New York City Opera from 1965 to 2002, and equivalent now to about £14,000 according to an inflation index or £87,000 accord- drew on this experience to ing to an average earnings index.) publish a nine-volume series The next years saw Radcliff in demand as soloist and orchestral player (notably of opera excerpt books to help flute players prepare for for the conductor Jullien) and demonstrator of Rudall, Rose, & Carte’s instruments. auditions and performances. His position as a premier flute player in London was solidified in 1868 when, on the He is emeritus professor of death of Sydney Pratten, he was appointed principal flute at the Royal Italian Opera flute at The Hartt School of the at Covent Garden, the forerunner to the Royal Opera. That summer, in Brighton, University of Hartford. www.johnwion.com The Era reported, ‘Mr. Radcliff’s marvellous fluency on the flute combined with his extraordinary power of tone has rendered his solos and obbligato accompaniments a most pleasing part of the performance.’ This ability to follow a singer led to his being singled out in performance after performance at the opera with such star sopranos as Emma Albani, Adelina Patti and Nellie Melba. In 1870 Rudall, Rose & Carte began making a Radcliff model flute. Radcliff bought his first Radcliff model in 1870 (No. 6547) and his second the following year (No. 6602). Then the makers began to give the model its own serial numbers, starting with number 20 in 1872. Radcliff bought a number of flutes from the firm over the years. In 1921 the company reached number 633, after which it began incorporating the numbers back into its general system, starting with number 6200. The company continued to make Radcliffs through the 1920s and a few years after that. The com- pany’s records show they had some unsold stock on hand as late as 1944. Radcliff became a teacher at Trinity College of Music, and it was here in 1880, according to a piece published in The Argus in Melbourne in 1884, that he first gave a lecture-demonstration on the history of the flute from ear- liest times, which presentation he would develop into a highly successful

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Three megastar sopranos entertainment. His solo performing continued too; according to the Belfast News in of the turn of the twentieth December 1881, ‘A German flautist came to England the other day and heard Mr. century (left to right): the John Radcliff play. He came to show the English how to use the instrument, but Spanish-born Italian who after an hour of Radcliff returned, saying that he had never known what the flute grew up in New York, was till he had heard it played here.’ Radcliff had become a celebrity. He toured the Adelina Patti (1843–1919); country with a small group of soloists from the opera during the off-seasons, and the Canadian Dame Emma Albani (1847–1930); and was acclaimed everywhere. (At this time concerts were not performed by a single the Australian Dame Nellie person. Even if announced as such, the star singer or instrumentalist would perform Melba (1861–1931). John only a small portion of the programme.) Radcliff played with them Then, at the end of the summer of 1883, he took what would be a two-year break all, and John Lemmoné from the London whirl. He had become affianced to a soloist at the Opera Comique and John Amadio were and the D’Oyly Carte Company, the soprano Pauline Rita. Born in Buckinghamshire particularly associated with Melba. (Library of Congress, as Margaret Glenister, she reached perhaps the peak of her fame in an 1877 benefit Washington.) performance of Trial by Jury with Sir Arthur Sullivan conducting and an all-star cast that included W.S. Gilbert. Pauline Rita had become a widow in 1870, and Radcliff himself had had a brief marriage in the early 1870s from which there was a daughter. This was a mature romance, with both partners in their late thirties. In a twist of fate which affected the history of the flute in Australasia, Madame Rita developed some kind of vocal problem and was advised to rest, according to Leonardo De Lorenzo’s My Complete Story of the Flute. Rita had a brother in Melbourne where it was noted in The Argus newspaper by its London correspondent that ‘Madame Pauline Rita sails…on October 26 [1881] whither she is going to fulfil professional engagements.’ Clearly she was not admitting to any problem and planned to return to her career. On arrival she immediately advertised herself as a teacher, but was otherwise ‘in retirement for some considerable time’. This ended with the arrival of Radcliff in Melbourne on the Glendower in December 1883. Melbourne, in the years following the gold rush, had become an affluent city of over half a million in the middle of a decade of boom. The couple married on 23 January of the new year; by February they were announcing their first performance together. Apart from providing obbligatos for his wife Radcliff performed two solos and played a duet with a local flute player. A critic in The Argus began an extended review of Radcliff’s presentation with ‘We cannot speak of Mr. John Radcliff in terms of too high praise.’ www.bfs.org.uk 29 flute•

After taking this programme to country towns they gave in Melbourne in May the first of their pres- entations ‘From Pan to Pinafore—The Pipes of All Peoples,’ developed from the evening Radcliff had given at Trinity College in London in 1880. He now demonstrated flutes from the Pandean pipe to the ‘cylinder (most perfect) flute,’ played obbligatos for his wife and closed with selections from Sullivan’s Patience with his wife at the piano. This became the basis for appearances around Victoria, then in Sydney and Brisbane and towns between until March of the following year, when they took the show to New Zealand for a remarkable tour of fifty-odd concerts in some thirty towns until November. The couple returned to London in mid-1886 where at a Covent Garden Proms concert, according to The Era, ‘Mr. Radcliff’s admirers were evidently glad to see him back in an English orchestra, and applauded his admirable playing in a most hearty manner.’ He resumed his position at the Royal Italian Opera at least until June of 1894 and possibly until 1895 when Frederic Griffiths was appointed. (Lemmoné says he was offered the position in 1894.) During these years ‘From Pan to Pinafore’ was presented around the country and Radcliff was still in demand as a soloist. A review in The Era said, ‘It is almost unnecessary to do more than record the fact that Mr. John Radcliff performed a fantasia by Nicholson to indicate that a musical treat of very high order was provided, and that the playing—we must not write “the efforts” for Mr. Radcliff’s mastery over his instrument precludes John Lemmoné. (Dayton C. all idea of anything but absolute ease of execution— Miller Collection, Library of was received with the rapturous applause only granted Congress, Washington.) to an “old favourite” of deserved reputation and undeniable artistic claims.’ In early 1897 he toured South Africa where The Era reported he ‘proved beyond a doubt his right to the position of first flautist of the world.’ The last reference found to a Radcliff performance was a solo played in a benefit concert at the Albert Hall in December1897 just after his fifty-sixth birthday. He died March 3, 1917 at his home at 38 Perham Road, West Kensington and was buried at Fulham Cemetery. Of the 633 Radcliff model flutes sold by Rudall, Carte & Co from 1870 to 1921 a surprising 109 were listed as sold to Australasia. The buyers of 71 Radcliffs sold between 1881 and 1895 were mostly unrecorded, and surely included flutes shipped to Australasia. After 1921 another 111 Radcliffs were made of which 86 went to Australasia. It seems reasonable to assume that Radcliff’s extended stay in 1884-5 contrib- uted to this—he must certainly have made contact with the local flute players and

30 September 2010 flute• promoted his instrument, both by his performances and by less formal one-on-one demonstrations and teaching. Australia was far away from the latest developments in those times, so it is also possible that this cylindrical flute, whose system made the change from an eight-keyed flute easy, was being promoted at an oppor- tune time. Radcliff wrote in the second edition of his tutor in 1894: ‘It follows from what I have stated that the change from the old eight Keyed Flute to that according to my Model is but slight, I am aware that there are still many Flute Players trembling on the verge of a transition from the old to the new class of Flutes, desir- ing, but hesitating whether or not to take this step…To all such I may perhaps not be considered presumptuous if I hold out my hand and say, follow me. I have gone through all your experience, have stepped over the stream before you, and have now planned a bridge by which you may pass over still more easily.’ He also wooed the Antipodeans by inviting them to participate in his concerts—with the Dresden-born Julius Siede (1825–1903) in Melbourne and an unnamed ‘lady amateur’ in Sydney, where it was also noted that Lo, Here the Gentle Lark had ‘a flute accompa- niment on Mr. Radcliff’s own model’. There are hints as to the acceptance of Radcliff’s flute such as a Sydney advertisement of 1885 for a used Radcliff flute. Four flutes for which we do have buyers’ names in 1886 were sent to Adelaide. (There is no record yet found that proves that Radcliff visited Adelaide, but it is rea- sonable to assume that he did.) But the most significant contact has to have been with the soon-to-be internationally-recognised Australian virtuoso, John Lemmoné, who wrote in 1927, ‘I have played on all systems, but John Amadio. for many years have used exclusively the Radcliff model.’ The first Rudall Carte Radcliff flute recorded in his name was number 382 in 1898, and either he or his agents bought another eleven over the next fifteen years. And again it is reasonable to believe that he may have bought an earlier unrecorded Radcliff. Lemmoné, born in 1861 in Ballarat, Victoria to a Greek immigrant, John Lemon (born Lamonya), began playing the fife in his school’s fife and drum band, and bought his first flute at the age of twelve with money earned from his own panning for gold. The following year he bought a used eight-keyed flute, which he played until he moved to Melbourne and began to establish himself as a professional. On the advice of Harry West, a Ballarat flute player and mentor, he ordered from England a Siccama flute, to his later regret. The young Lemon won a position as principal flute with W.S. Lyster’s Royal Italian Opera Company, based at the time in Melbourne. In 1884, the same year that Radcliff was in Melbourne, ‘John Lemmon’ made his solo debut at a benefit concert, playing a piece of his own composition. Also debuting on the same concert was a young soprano, Mrs. Armstrong, soon to become Nellie Melba. Thus began an association that lasted till Melba’s death. There is no record that Radcliff and Lemmoné met, but it hardly seems possible that the younger man would not have sought out the visiting celebrity and taken www.bfs.org.uk 31 flute•

advantage of his expertise, and indeed been swayed towards the Radcliff model. This is strengthened by a reference Lemmoné made in his memoirs to a concert in which he participated after his arrival in London ten years later. The unrehearsed Kuhlau Quartet had ‘my old friend, John Radcliff’ playing first flute. It is hard to imagine a recent acquaintance being described as such. After three successful seasons in London, Lemmoné returned to Australia in 1897 (having also, he claimed, declined the position of principal flute with the Boston Symphony) to become an entrepreneur and one of Melba’s managers. This activ- ity took predominance over his own performing from then, though he did record, compose, and perform until his retirement in 1927. Lemmoné’s name would certainly have been known to the young virtuoso who arrived in Australia the year after his return—John Amadio. Born John Bell in 1883 in Christchurch, New Zealand, Amadio was just two when the Radcliffs finished their tour. His stepfather, Henry Amadio, was an amateur flute player (and surely must have heard Radcliff in Christchurch) who encouraged the boy to play. As a ten-year-old John performed with the Wellington orchestra; then the Amadios moved to Sydney, and later Melbourne. John was appointed principal with the Italian Opera there at the age of eighteen. Catching the eye (or ear) of Melba, he began touring with the notable sopranos of his time. He played and taught in Melbourne until 1919 when he and his second wife, soprano Florence Austral, went to London and later the United States, where Amadio would tour annually until the Second World War. During his entire adult career Amadio played on Radcliff model flutes. The first (number 447) was bought by his stepfather in 1906 and he would order another fourteen over the next seven years while still in Melbourne—a total of fifteen of the ninety-three made during that period. One assumes these were largely for his students. His two most respected students before he left Australia were Leslie Barklamb (1905–1993), who became the principal teacher in Melbourne, and Victor McMahon (1903–1992) who became the principal teacher in Sydney (and a devotee of Lemmoné). Barklamb’s instrument of choice became Carte’s 1867 model, but McMahon stayed with Radcliff. The other proponent of the Radcliff model in Australia was the afore-mentioned Adelaide-born Alfred Bohm (1866–1947). His studies in Germany placed him away from home when Radcliff visited, so he presumably became a convert during his post-Leipzig time in London. On his return to Australia he became the teacher at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide in 1904 and began ordering Radcliff flutes—a total of fourteen over the next two decades. The Radcliff seed, planted in 1884, became well rooted in Australasia, with almost of all of Rudall Carte’s production finally being the result of orders to the Antipodes. The Radcliff players continued happily until their careers ended. Then Boehm finally reigned unrivalled. • Thanks to Robert Bigio for this article’s inspiration, for his guidance and for access to John Radcliff’s first flute, the Rudall Carte records, and to Robert Brown for details about Australian Radcliff made to his design by players. Two published works were of particular help: Donald Westlake’s Dearest John: Rudall Carte. Tony Bingham the story of John Lemmoné, flute virtuoso and Nellie Melba (Bowerbird Press) and Anne collection. (Photograph by Cecil Sterman’s ‘John Amadio: Virtuoso Flautist’ (Flute Australasia, Spring-Summer 2002). Robert Bigio.)

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The flute players of the regions of Britain: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham

By Arthur Haswell

he north-east of England, centred on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has a rich musical history that includes a keen interest in the flute. In the first golden age of flute Tplaying, the great flautist Charles Nicholson made several trips to what was then a town newly-wealthy from its industries and coal mines, and still at the fore- front of musical endeavour over fifty years after the death of its greatest composer Charles Avison. Northumberland was also the possessor of a distinctive folk tradition in which the flute took its place beside the small-pipes. If we look back to the years after the war, however, it becomes clear that despite this heritage there was something lacking. Touring orchestras would come and play at Newcastle’s City Hall, itself a far from ideal venue for classical concerts, but there was no professional group actually resident in the region. That began to change in the early 1960s after the formation of the Northern Sinfonia. From the start, the Sinfonia had the service of some top quality musicians, none finer than the Arthur Haswell repairs flutes young principal flute, David Haslam, who quickly established himself as one of the from all over the UK at home golden flautists of his generation. His second flute, Christine Ring, found schools in Northumberland. He was and private pupils clamouring for lessons and, after leaving the Sinfonia in the mid- on-site repairer at the recent BFS International Convention. sixties, became the root of much flute playing in the region. By the time of her recent retirement she could look back on a period of nearly fifty years during which she had developed the musicianship and playing of hundreds of flautists, many of whom have become, in turn, teachers and players. Author’s picture That same period saw a great improvement to the infrastructure of music-making. Both Newcastle and Durham Universities now have top quality departments, with Newcastle pioneering a traditional music course that draws players from all over the UK. To complete the picture, the region finally gained a purpose-built venue in The Sage—and what a centre it has already become for playing and concert-going. The wonderful main hall is home to the Northern Sinfonia and has welcomed visiting orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, the LSO and the City of Birmingham Symphony, while a second, smaller, hall is perfect for chamber music. The Sage also runs a Saturday school and hosts Young Sinfonia, attracting talented youngsters from all around the region. Beyond The Sage the general growth of music-making has seen a steady increase in the number and quality of players and teachers. For many years Margaret Borthwick taught widely around Newcastle and played in the Northern Sinfonia. Since retiring she has been involved in the development of a new ensemble, Orchestra North-East, which has grown from the Durham Sinfonia. Sarah Davis (née Shelton), a fine player

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The north-east’s stunning new concert hall, The Sage who moved to the region a few years ago, teaches at the Royal Grammar School. In Gateshead, seen through Tynemouth a pupil of Christine Ring’s, Hazel Graham, performs in a wind quintet the Tyne Bridge from the and teaches, while just up the coast at Whitley Bay, Katie Nelson plays on a beauti- quayside in Newcastle- ful Webb & Wessel and is in demand as a teacher. Bijan Alimohamadi is a flautist as upon-Tyne, with the well as a multi-instrumentalist living in Cramlington who teaches flute privately and Gateshead Millennium in several Tyneside schools. Of the younger generation, Rachel Fuller, one of Bijan’s Bridge in the background. Photograph by Mark pupils who went on to study with Brian Stewart and Rachel Jeffers, teaches and plays Savage. as one half of a flute and guitar duo. There are also many traditional musicians, none finer than Lillias Kinsman-Blake and Claire Mann. The rural nature and sparse population of much of Northumberland inevitably affects the business of giving flute lessons, but there are several flautists who cover a good many miles every week including Madeleine Garside and Richard Johnston. South of the Tyne, Naomi Barker divides her time between baroque flute and teach- ing in Gateshead, which she does with great enthusiasm alongside Steve Barker (no relation). Another traverso player, Mary Tyers, teaches at Durham University and is much in demand nationwide as a soloist. Durham is home to Michael Cave, a pupil of Brian Stewart, who deservedly won the BFS Geoffrey Gilbert Competition in 2008. Nicola Tulloch, from nearby Tow Law, plays widely around the region, most recently with the English Philharmonic under David Haslam. And the north-east has a superb piccolo player in Rob McBlane, a Scot who paid his dues in an army band. What becomes clear when we consider these players and think of the many others who enjoy playing in north-east England is the network of connections between

34 September 2010 flute• them: teachers and pupils; players sitting next to each other in a section; friends and colleagues getting together at special events, such as the recent Flute Day at The Sage or those that Christine Ring used to organise at Mowden Hall School. The number of these connections has multiplied since the Northern Sinfonia started playing, and more recently with collaborations between traditional and classical musicians. There is no reason to expect it to do anything other than grow still further as the opportu- nities for music-making increase and flute playing continues to entrance and delight.

David Haslam

David Haslam is widely regarded as one the finest flute players of his generation. A pupil of Gareth Morris, David Haslam was a prodigy, entering the Royal Academy of Music when only seventeen and becoming principal flute with the Scottish National Orchestra at nineteen. As a boy brought up in a working-class home in Loughborough, David’s life changed when he went to his local secondary modern school and came under the influence of Albert Neil, the peripatetic music teacher. Neil had been an army bandsman who, after surviving a Japanese P.O.W. camp, had devoted himself to teaching musical instruments—and he could play nearly all of them. He made a point of matching instruments to pupils, and though the young David fancied the trumpet Neil gave him a flute. David Haslam says Neil was the most important of his teachers before Gareth Morris. He progressed well on the flute and his school work also improved, so much so that Neil pushed for him to be transferred to a grammar school. There David found the confidence to thrive. He continued playing the wooden band instrument with simple keywork that Neil had given him until he acquired an ebonite 1867 system Rudall Carte. Eventually Albert Neil insisted that his star pupil go to a specialist flute teacher. Then, at seventeen, David Haslam won the Walter Stokes Scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music. Gareth Morris deemed David’s flute unsuitable and found him a marvellous thinned wood Rudall Carte, equipped with the same open G sharp that David had become used to. Once again David prospered, learning theory as well as taking his flute playing to a higher level. Morris encouraged his young David Haslam. student to gain experience by freelancing. When David found himself in Glasgow with a touring orchestra he auditioned for the vacant principal chair at the Scottish National Orchestra under Sir Alexander Gibson and, though still only nineteen, was offered the job. In 1962, shortly after the Northern Sinfonia was founded, David moved to Newcastle to become principal flute, a post that he would occupy for the next forty-two years. One of the attractions of the job was that he was asked to do more than play flute. As a musician with a wide range of interests, David enthusiastically took on the role of associate conductor in 1966. And as a composer he broadened the orchestra’s repertoire. He wrote a series of pieces aimed at a young audience, written in collaboration with Johnny Morris, and more than a hundred settings of northern traditional songs. A recording of his first set of songs, performed by the Northern Sinfonia with Sir Thomas Allen and Sheila Armstrong, was released in 1988. www.bfs.org.uk 35 flute•

This general musi- cianship informs David’s flute playing. His extraordinary natural ability took him beyond the exalted level of orchestral professionals to a rare class. With the Sinfonia, and on trips away from Newcastle with orchestras such as the LSO, the Liverpool Phil, the Academy of St. Martin’s and the BBC Scottish, he per- formed as soloist under conductors including Sir Richard Hickox, Sir Adrian Boult and Sir Charles Groves. London The Northern Sinfonia, the orchestras tried to lure north-east’s professional him south but he remained in Newcastle. He has always been a generous musi- orchestra. Photograph by cian, and because he knows first-hand the way that music can change lives, he Mark Savage. likes to perform in a wide variety of settings. Of the many tales of his kindness and ability, none is more apposite than that of the occasion when he turned up to give a recital in Cumbria only to discover he’d forgotten to bring a flute. It seemed unlikely that a substitute with an open G sharp could be found. But when a young- ster offered her closed G sharp student flute David took it gratefully and played the whole programme faultlessly. Actually, it should not be surprising that David Haslam found that student instrument perfectly acceptable, since his reserve flute is a silver-plated Yamaha (converted to open G sharp) played through his favourite Jack Frazer phosphor- bronze head joint. For many years, until the wood cracked, his main instrument was the Rudall Carte that Gareth Morris had acquired for him. After that a new flute took shape through a series of modifications, consisting of a wood body made by Robert Bigio and silver keywork adapted by Robert from a high-pitched Rudall Carte. Since his retirement from the Sinfonia in 2004, David Haslam has remained musically active. Together with his partner Annamaria McCool, he has estab- lished a new ensemble based in Newcastle, the English Philharmonic, which he conducts in regular concerts throughout northern England. This project is dear to David Haslam’s heart since it goes to places where orchestras have not ventured and plays wide-ranging programmes. His standing in the musical community allows him to draw on the finest players, including his regular flute section of Rachel Jeffers and Brian Stewart, and to attract top singers and soloists such as Sir Thomas Allen and Julian Lloyd Webber. As musical director, David is careful to mix popular classics with contemporary works, including his own compositions.

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The result is packed houses and delighted crowds. He has also recorded a further set of his song arrangements. David Haslam continues to compose, most recently an orchestral piece written while in Italy that he says, with soft humour in his voice, he is thinking of calling In The North. A new setting of the Kyrie will be performed along with an earlier one of the Gloria at Christmas 2010. All who have enjoyed his playing over the years will be glad to hear that he is considering taking up his flute again to record a programme of concertos. It is hard to imagine how a musician could have given more to his adopted region than David Haslam has to Newcastle and the north-east. And since he is showing no sign of slowing down, his audience can look forward to still more of his world-class musicianship.

Christine Ring

For fifty years, Christine Ring has been at the heart of flute teaching in north-east England. But she didn’t ever plan to be in this position. When she moved to the area it was to accompany her husband as he took up the job of harpsichordist to the newly-formed Northern Sinfonia. Originally from New Zealand, Christine began playing when someone donated a flute to her school, Epsom Grammar in Auckland, and she put her hand up as being interested in having a go. ‘I don’t know what made me put my hand up,’ Christine remembers. ‘But another girl had beaten me to it so she was given first option. I hated that girl from then on! I hoped and hoped that she’d give up—and eventually she did. And so I got the flute.’ Christine had also taken piano lessons. ‘But I loathed the piano,’ she says. She concentrated on the flute. But she needed a flute of her own, something not easily obtained in 1940s New Zealand. Luckily her father knew a neighbour who imported cars and was also an amateur flautist. One day a consignment from the United States carried with it Christine’s new flute. Christine might have remained in New Zealand, playing locally and teaching, if she hadn’t met and married a fellow-countryman who’d decided to work in England. Her husband, Layton, had become associated with the Dolmetsch family, famous for their reproduction harpsichords and recorders. So, aged twenty-one, Christine took the four-week boat journey and found herself living in Haslemere. Christine Ring. Carl Dolmetsch, when he learned that she played, handed her a one-keyed boxwood flute and told her to get on with it. Using the book by Preleur, she worked out fingerings. As her baroque flute technique increased, she began giving recitals while continuing to play the Boehm flute in local orchestras. Her life changed again when the Northern Sinfonia invited her husband to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. ‘I found David Haslam playing principal flute and I’d never heard anything like his playing in my life before—it was out of this world,’ she recalls. She was asked to play second flute. ‘It was a privilege to sit beside David. What better way could there be to learn? And with this gorgeous sound coming into my ear all the time!’ With no other professional players in the area, Christine found herself being asked to teach, first at one school, then at another, until she built up a network of www.bfs.org.uk 37 flute•

pupils. She bought a wood flute, a Flutemakers Guild with an unlined head, which she found closer to her ideal. And she continued to play the baroque flute, taking lessons in the mid-sixties with Hans-Martin Linde in Basel. In 1970 Christine and her husband started a summer school for early music called Norvis, which this summer has celebrated its fortieth anniversery. For many years she gave regular recitals on baroque flute, and toured with her husband and the oboist Tony Camden as a trio. She became a member of the BFS Council. For the rest of her time, after leaving the Sinfonia, she devoted herself to her pupils, who found themselves enriched by coming into contact with someone whose house was full of music. One pupil from the early days, Simon Waters, now an established composer who teaches at the University of East Anglia, and keen player and collector of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century flutes, recalls visiting for lessons as a boy. ‘The table would be covered with mail and a clutch of early wooden flutes that were lying there casually. That became for me the model of what a flute player’s life should be: that you should have a collection of early flutes.’ Like many of her pupils, Simon, inspired by Christine’s example of listening and playing widely, and has gone on to a distinguished career in music. Now in her mid-seventies, Christine has finally decided to slow down. She retains her various flutes, a collection for playing rather than a museum, that includes a wooden Boehm-system Rudall Carte and a variety of boxwood English simple flutes. And the glint still shines in her eye, a melody sings in her voice, when she talks of flutes and flute-playing, signs of the enthusiasm that made her, seventy years ago, unthinkingly raise her hand in an Auckland classroom.

Juliette Bausor

Juliette Bausor is one of the most exciting young flute players in the country. Before becoming principal flute of Northern Sinfonia, taking over from David Haslam, she was already well-known thanks to her success at competitions, her solo work, and her television appearances. Juliette showed interest in the flute from an early age, often picking up her mother’s instrument and trying it out. Encouraged by this, her mother bought her a Yamaha 211. ‘I remember getting it for Christmas,’ Juliette recalls, ‘With its shiny black case and soft red lining—I just loved it!’ Her mother also gave her her first lessons until Juliette went to local teachers at school and near her home in Warwickshire. At this time her flute hero was James Galway. ‘I was captivated by his gorgeous, singing sound and the way he communicated the music,’ she says. ‘I have always loved his playing.’ She also professes an admiration for William Bennett and Emmanuel Pahud. Juliette progressed quickly and won places at the Purcell School of Music and junior department of the Royal Academy of Music, where she was fortunate enough to be a pupil of Anna Pope. ‘I studied with Anna for seven years. It was wonder- ful to have such a dedicated and inspirational teacher for such a critical period of my development.’ She went on to the Guildhall where her teachers were Philippa Davies, Paul Edmund-Davies and Samuel Coles, and then had tuition in Paris at the Conservatoire with Sophie Cherrier and Vincent Lucas. Whilst a student, she won the Gold Medal in both the Royal Over-Seas League and Shell-LSO Competitions

38 September 2010 flute• and was winner of the woodwind final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. She played widely, touring Europe and visiting Africa, Asia and Australasia, and appearing as soloist with the Ulster Orchestra, LSO and the Academy of St. Martin’s. When David Haslam retired from the Northern Sinfonia, Juliette became his worthy successor. She explains the main attractions of Northern Sinfonia: ‘We get some amazing chamber and solo opportunities,’ she says. ‘And then there is the range of what we do, from early music through to contemporary compositions. We play under a variety of wonderful guest conductors, and our music director, Thomas Zehetmair, is an inspirational musician and an amazing violinist. Working with him is always such a fascinating process. He creates such a buzz in the orches- tra and pushes the boundaries of what you think is possible.’ Other attractions include the opportunity really to get Juliette Bausor and Clare inside a piece before its public performance, and the sheer beauty of The Sage’s Robson. setting. ‘We get two or three days’ rehearsal for each concert,’ she explains, ‘which is a luxury, rather than turning up on the day which is unfortunately so often the case in the UK. I often sit in that rehearsal hall and look out at the River Tyne and think how lucky we are to have the The Sage Gateshead as a home.’ Away from the north-east, Juliette freelances as principal flute with all the major UK orchestras, conducting this interview fresh from an LPO tour to Germany. She has also recently taken on the role of principal flute of the London Mozart Players. As if this wasn’t enough, she maintains an active solo and chamber music career, playing alongside the likes of Catrin Finch, Thomas Zehetmair, and Kate Royal, as well as in her own Linos Wind quintet that can frequently be heard on BBC Radio 3.

Clare Robson

At a primary school in Harpenden, the young Clare Robson became enamoured by the shiny sparkly instrument being played by an older girl. She pestered her parents until they hired a flute to see how their daughter got on with it. She got on so well that they bought her a Yamaha 211. Clare deems herself lucky to have had a wonderful first teacher, Edith van Spall, who lived locally. ‘Edith made learning the flute so enjoyable,’ Clare recalls, ‘that I always looked forward to her lessons.’ As a member of the British Flute Society and Flutewise, Edith took her pupil along to special events, including a day at the Royal www.bfs.org.uk 39 flute•

College when Clare, aged nine, met James Galway and touched his golden flute. A year later she enjoyed Trevor Wye’s performance on diverse flutes, including one that he joked was made from a human leg bone. In her teens, Clare played flute and piccolo in the Hertfordshire Schools Orchestra, the National Wind and Chamber Orchestras, and the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. When she was fourteen she passed an audition for Junior Guildhall and began studying with Sarah Newbold, and later continued with her and Philippa Davies at the Guildhall itself, where she also studied the piccolo with Sharon Williams. Clare graduated with first class honours from Guildhall in 2006, by which time she had already done some auditions. She continued to learn how to approach the problem of playing excerpts and controlling her nerves. She auditioned for Northern Sinfonia about six months after leaving college, at which time she was freelanc- ing with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Ballet and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as well as teaching. She joined the Sinfonia in May 2008. Like her colleague Juliette Bausor, Clare finds the great pleasure of playing in Northern Sinfonia comes from the sheer variety of music being played. ‘People sometimes assume that being a chamber orchestra we only play Mozart and Haydn. We do that, and enjoy doing that, but the range is much wider. For instance, together we’ve recently performed Brandenburg Concerto number four in The Sage Gateshead, programmes of MGM film music with one of our principal conductors, John Wilson, and a Beethoven Cycle with our music director Thomas Zehetmair.’ Clare never experienced the Sinfonia’s difficulties when using the old City Hall and the Sinfonia Centre as its base. But she is fully aware of the quality of its new home. ‘The Sage is such an amazing concert hall—we’re very lucky. It’s been very good for the orchestra to play in this space.’ Clare still lives in Hertfordshire, fitting freelance work and teaching around her main job in Gateshead. Her pupils range from seven-year-olds with fifes to advanced players. And she encourages them all to try the piccolo. Of the future, as a player still in her twenties who is delighting in the situation her talent and musicianship have taken her to, Clare is happy to experience things widely, enjoying for instance the demands of modern composers. ‘With contemporary music you end up having to find a different area of technique and a different area of your playing, so it broadens how you play,’ she says. ‘But I like a mixture. It’s nice to come in one day and play Bach, and next week Schumann, and the next week something completely different.’

Brian Stewart

Brought up on a Northumbrian farm, Brian Stewart was the first in his family to pursue music to the highest level, though there was always music at home. He loved listening to his parents’ records and playing around on the family piano. His mother began giving him lessons before sending him to a local teacher. It was when he went to high school in Haydon Bridge that he took up the flute. ‘It was part of the culture to play an instrument,’ he explains. ‘So I started aged twelve on a Boosey & Hawkes Emperor.’ At sixteen Brian began taking lessons with Christine Ring. ‘She changed my life musically. She fed me with music I’d never heard before and made my musical

40 September 2010 flute• world huge—I’d never realised how huge it was. She used to take me to concerts and introduced me to early music. She was instrumental in getting me to music college.’ Brian started at the Royal College of Music in 1981. For the first two years he was taught by Christopher Hyde-Smith, who brought on his technique. ‘He knew how to encourage me to get the best out of my playing,’ Brian recalls. Deciding to widen the range of his teachers, Brian had lessons with David Butt and, after leaving college, with Jonathan Snowden, who raised his playing to another level. ‘Jonathan taught me to have faith in my technique and to use tone colour and amounts of vibrato to express musical ideas like a singer.’ Brian stayed in London, playing for a ballet orchestra and in a variety of chamber groups. ‘I always thought about music for its own sake. I never went out of my way to get work. Eventually I had to make a choice between staying in London and working on a career, or moving away.’ He went first to Cambridge and then returned to Northumberland. Brian Stewart. Brian had begun teaching while still at the Royal College, so it was natural for him to take on pupils back home in the north-east. Through freelancing in the newly-formed North Pennines Chamber Orchestra he met some of the region’s top musicians and began to play chamber music with them. At the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham he organised programmes featuring some of his old London col- leagues, and continued to visit the south to play in the Lewis London Ballet Ensemble and as guest soloist with the Chamber Ensemble of London. As his teaching became more sought after, he took on responsibilities at Newcastle and Durham Universities, and at The Sage. He is now one of the region’s hardest- working and most highly-regarded teachers, with additionally many private and school pupils, some of whom have themselves gone on to music college either as under- or post-graduates. He plays with a variety of orchestras, including the English Philharmonic and Orchestra North-East, and continues to give recitals. If the cliché has the local artist leaving for the bright lights and never returning, then the truth in this case tells the story of one of its flute-playing successes bringing his talent home, Rachel Jeffers. for which many in the region have cause to be grateful.

Rachel Jeffers

Rachel Jeffers moved to the north-east five years ago when her husband, who is not a musician, got a job in Newcastle. Such a relocation might have frustrated other musicians, but Rachel has thrived, while the region has benefited from her profes- sionalism and top-quality musicianship. In her teens, Rachel was lucky enough to have been a pupil of Rainer Schuelein. ‘He was a fabulous teacher, very patient and generous with his time, who really sorted out my technique for me.’ After a couple of years she gained a place at the Royal Academy of Music. She describes her teachers there, William Bennett and Sebastian Bell, as having been very influential. ‘I use many of their teaching methods these days,’ she explains, ‘especially trying to emulate the vocal qualities of the flute which I learnt from Wibb. I’ll never forget being taught to sing out the melodies of the pieces I was learning in order to find the direction of the phrases. Bas Bell introduced me to some of the contemporary repertoire and helped me get to grips with extended techniques, as well as refining my sound further. He was an amazing www.bfs.org.uk 41 flute•

man, who is much missed. I also am indebted to Keith Bragg for teaching me piccolo and encouraging me to think of it as an instrument in its own right, with its own unique tonal qualities.’ After leaving the Academy, Rachel freelanced with various orchestras, most notably the Philharmonia, BBC Concert Orchestra and English National Ballet, and had trials with BBC Concert Orchestra, RPO and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra—all on piccolo. ‘It was an exciting time,’ Rachel remembers, ‘and I loved it!’ Then Rachel’s life changed with her husband’s move north. She had never even visited the north-east, and found it quite an upheaval to leave family, friends, and career. But soon she grew to love the beauty of the place, particularly of the wonder- ful Northumbrian coastline, and the friendliness of the people. She mixes work with family life—she has a daughter Sasha at primary school and a son Timothy who has just started to walk—and has played with various local orchestras including the English Philharmonic under David Haslam. Rachel finds she is asked to do a lot more principal work than she was in the south, which she finds a valuable experience. She finds time for chamber music with pianist David Murray, whom she describes as an amazing musician. As a teacher she is in demand at Newcastle University, at a local school, and privately, and as an examiner for ABRSM she tries to be a friendly face to make the experience of being examined a positive one for the candidates. ‘I vividly remember my experiences, when I was younger, of having some very scary examiners,’ she says, ‘and I hope I don’t appear scary!’ Rachel plays a Bonneville flute with a very special head joint. ‘Bas made my head joint for me,’ she explains. ‘It was incredible—I just described, in a few words, what sort of a sound I was after, and two days later it was finished, and it exactly as I’d imagined it!’ Rachel admits to missing the buzz of playing with a big symphony orchestra like the Philharmonia, or of a live broadcast with the BBCSO. ‘But I’m happy with my lot up north,’ she says, ‘juggling family life and freelancing.’

Calum Stewart

When Calum Stewart arrived in Newcastle to join the newly-founded Folk Music course at the university, he was already a professional musician. And after gaining his degree he stayed on to establish himself as one of the most innovative and musical of the young generation of traditional players. Calum grew up in Morayshire in a house full of music. Both his mother and sister played the fiddle, and Calum started early on the whistle, which led naturally in his early teens to his taking up the wooden simple-system flute. He learnt from fiddlers and pipers and played in a local group. He was already earning money from his playing when he took lessons from Sheila Cochran, who helped refine his technique. At that time, Calum says, he was hungry to use the flute to its optimum. He moved to Edinburgh and became part of its vital session scene. He soon found himself in greater demand professionally. He might have settled for what he could achieve there, but his drive to expand the traditional flute’s range and repertoire led to his applying to join Newcastle University’s Folk Degree course, then in its infancy. Having come from a strong tradition in Northern Scotland, he found in Newcastle

42 September 2010 flute• a meeting of styles derived from other traditions including Scandanavian, Irish, Canadian, and of course Northumbrian. This resulted in his developing an interest in establishing his own style in which he would take from different techniques and voices to produce something new and personally meaningful. By now Calum was playing in a variety of combinations with like-minded musi- cians from other traditions. But for his first recording he decided to set down a homage to the tradition in which he’d grown up, and which he felt was under-rep- resented on CD. Earlywood, recorded with his trio, is a collection of Scottish music, a project which Calum describes as having been dear to his heart. ‘It represents many years of working, collecting and developing traditional Scottish music for the wooden flute.’ That labour of love included a good deal of time spent researching archives, looking through old collections and manuscripts for unknown tunes or different versions of familiar ones. As ever, Calum’s determination to keep improving and discovering meant moving on. He recently left the UK for Brittany to live amongst what he describes as the best and highest concentration of fine simple-system flute players. He has established a duo with a Breton guitarist, plays with bands in Brittany and Wales, and has recently been collaborating with Scandinavian players. His latest project is One Fine Day, Calum Stewart. which he describes as being about creating an approach to music that allows each musician to keep his or her traditional voice while fitting in with the others. A craving for authenticity is the drive for Calum’s future recordings. He hopes to produce a recital with Breton guitarist Heikki Bourgault that would feature just the two acoustic instruments, so that, as he says, ‘What is recorded is what can be pro- duced in front of you.’ He is also contemplating a series of solo flute pieces recorded on portable equipment in interesting natural acoustical spaces without any studio intervention whatsoever. It will be clear now that Calum Stewart is a purist and an artist of the highest integrity. As a flautist, however, he says that he has always felt a bit of an outsider. Perhaps that is to the good, for it means that, as an autodidact, he hasn’t fallen into the trap of becoming content with what he’s learnt. Similarly, he has striven to find the instrument that matches the sounds in his head. He began on a keyless beginner flute by Tony Dixon. After three or four duds, including an old Boosey band flute in E flat, he was lucky enough to find a Rudall & Rose eight-key flute. But this flute’s beautiful sound he found increasingly compromised by problems of intonation. He asked the Durham flutemakers Holmes and McNaughton to make him a copy. The result was a great improvement, better in tune and with easier keywork. Yet still, after a while, he became dissatisfied, this time at the conical bore’s inability to play equally well in all keys. Recently he came upon an unusual Rudall Carte, a simple system on a cylindrical bore. Calum recognised it as the flute he’d always sought—a big flute that feels balanced in all keys and plays evenly from bottom C to top B flat, which is about as high as the music requires. Calum Stewart is now recognised as one of the top wooden flute players in the world. Though he travels widely, he returns regularly to north-east England, most recently for rehearsals with the singer Gareth Davies-Jones. He is a guest teacher on the Folk Degree course, and works on collaborations with The Sage and Folkworks. His association with the region is something for which all its music lovers are duly grateful. • www.bfs.org.uk 43 flute•

Taking exams: Making them a more enjoyable musical experience

By Tony Ovenell

hy take a flute exam anyway? Good question! Clare Southworth’s thought- provoking article in the December issue of Pan (or Flute as it now is) Wdraws attention to the amount of testing and examining going on in our education system and questions the value of all this testing, especially in relation to learning an instrument. Tony Ovenell joined the My own view is that an exam is often an appropriate goal to work towards, but Royal Liverpool Philharmonic only alongside a wide assortment of other motivational and inspirational experiences Orchestra soon after leaving and goals which any good teacher will deploy during the course of a period of study. the Royal Academy of Music. During our years running a community music school in Ireland, my wife and I He trained as a Community constantly had to downgrade the importance of exams within the musical learning Outreach Musician and took experience we offered as a whole, in order to swing the focus away from marked a diploma as a Suzuki teacher. After leaving the Liverpool Phil, assessment towards communicative performance with an audience. Parents can be Tony and his wife moved to competitively obsessed with their children’s achievements and this is the danger the west of Ireland where they with exams (and competitions): they can all too easily feed this obsession, losing established a highly-successful sight of the whole purpose and joy of music-making. music school and a summer That said, we did have an annual examination session at the school for those for school and festival. Tony has whom it was appropriate. We always insisted that exam performances were linked returned to England, where he performs and teaches. He to concert performances and we tried to encourage the idea of the exam as simply is an ABRSM examiner and a one more performance opportunity. We treated the feedback seriously, learning member of the BFS council. from any suggestions offered, but at the same time allowing us the chance to give credit for the great success story it often was for the student, with plenty of back- slapping and praise all round. How do we make sure it’s always like this? Author’s picture

Choosing the right grade and the best repertoire

In my work as an overseas examiner I have found that in certain places (Hong Kong especially), teachers like to move their pupils on really fast. There is a typical ‘Hong Kong’ sequence of grades (2, 4, 6, 8) so that they can reach Grade 8 quicker. I think it is a bad idea and it seldom works well. I have a feeling that some flute teachers here in Britain tend to do this too, finding that progress through the early grades can be quite swift. As a teacher I have tended to lean the other way, taking lots of time over the grades, often choosing an exam one grade lower than was anticipated so that performances could be well prepared and confident. I had a rule that, at the cut-off date for entries (a few weeks before the actual exam) I had to feel confident that the student could, at the very least, pass the grade they were entering on that very day, so (mostly) avoiding last-minute panics and the mugging-up of scales. Going for an

Photograph: RobertPhotograph: Bigio exam became a special event and not the automatic entitlement of each paid-up pupil.

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The ‘next grade syndrome’, simply because it is next one is most certainly not A common criticism always appropriate. A pause in exam-taking is always a good idea, finding a different of exams is that pupils goal and, above all, exploring the general territory of the grade newly completed. get bored and stale How often one finds oneself writing something to this effect in the additional with playing the same comments section of the mark form. If an exam must be found, try another board repertoire over a period of weeks. However, where effectively half-grade increments can be discovered. Teachers can sometimes if you expect high make effective use of two or even three exam boards to find the right level, format standards there is and repertoire for the student. always plenty to work at. A common criticism of exams is that pupils get bored and stale with playing the same repertoire over a period of weeks. However, if you expect high standards there is always plenty to work at. You can include other matched repertoire not on the syllabuses or you can work on more than one piece from a particular grade, so encouraging personal and musical preferences to develop. This can then lead onto the whole idea of programme building, something which is so often ignored. A good programme is not just a balanced one musically but also takes account of the player’s stamina as well as their playing strengths (and weaknesses). Some more points about repertoire. Check the timings for the exam grade and make sure that your combination of pieces and study does not take a disproportionate amount of time relative to the overall time for the exam. This helps the examiner to run the exam smoothly, allowing the correct time for each of the other sections. Do explore the pieces outside the published selections. The latter may not necessarily be the best for the student and are not always the best musically in any case. Ones chosen outside the norm often have a freshness which can enliven the exam room atmosphere, though of course no extra credit is given for rarity value!

Pieces—the core of the exam

Questions for the student could be: how well do you really know your pieces? Have you listened to good performances of them (so easy to download), and do you know the piano accompaniments too? Sadly this is not always the case. Non piano-playing teachers have a slight disadvantage here, but recordings can fill the gap, and some- times the piano part can be adapted to make a good flute duet. Be sure that adequate rehearsal is scheduled with an accompanist. It’s terribly sad to see a youngster badly thrown because the accompaniment was unfamiliar or (worse still) badly played. The pieces and the study attract the bulk of the marks, so this is where a sense of performance as well as general playing security and poise are so important to success. You might think it is difficult to create a really convincing sense of performance in the exam room but you would be wrong. I have been moved to tears on some occasions by the beauty and spontaneity of certain performances, and I have had the sense that it was a privilege to be present at such times. Of course it helps in the search for this extra quality if the exam is not the first time the pieces have been performed. As with all performances, allow time for setting up and fine tuning, being sure that the stand is correctly positioned (not all examiners take care with this), that the pieces have been clearly announced in the correct order (do it for the child if it makes them nervous) and that the examiner is really ready for the performance to begin. All these things are well worth while practising beforehand.

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Do emphasise that it is the student’s exam. Practise letting them take ownership of it from the start. It is up to them to decide the order of the different elements It’s a constant source (as well as of the pieces) and they can change the order as they go along if they like. of surprise to me that (Actually there is a strong case for not playing the pieces first but starting with the flautists are often scales if they are confident in these, which they should be.) The aural tests can come so weak and poorly after the pieces and before the study if a break from playing is needed. The examiner prepared in their scales. should (but does not always remember to) offer this. Again, having a pre-arranged What other exam do plan is a good idea; formulated perhaps as a result of a complete run-through of the you enter knowing the whole thing previously. questions beforehand?

Scales

It’s a constant source of surprise to me that flautists are often so weak and poorly prepared in their scales. What other exam do you enter knowing the questions beforehand? They should be prepared using exactly the same musical criteria as the pieces: right notes and fingerings (especially in the third octave which is often appallingly inaccurate), in time and in tune with a beautiful, even sound and a musical shape. Not much to ask, is it! If a scale is made to sound as musical as any other tune, then it should not be a chore to practise—and the improving effect on the rest of the playing is magical.

Supporting tests: Sight-Reading and Aural

A flute player who has only limited sight-reading skills is at a distinct disadvantage. The flute is essentially an ensemble instrument and a player who cannot successfully come together with others to make music is missing much of the joy of learning an instrument. It is a most worthwhile skill and exam boards who toy with the idea of dumbing-down this section are making a big mistake, in my view. Not that a decent teacher worth his or her salt would not practise this activity, whether it was on a syllabus or not. Every teacher knows the value and fun of sight-reading duets. Wind players in my experience are the most comfortable sight readers, but I do still find it surprising how many get bogged down with the notes and the key at the expense of reading the rhythm accurately and staying in time with a clear pulse. I often used to prove the importance of this point by playing a well-known tune (say God Save the Queen) first with the right notes but with random note lengths and no pulse. It was never recognised. Then I would play the same tune with completely correct rhythm and a firm pulse but with every note misplaced in pitch. Only then would the penny drop. The secret in the exam is to prioritise, using the preparation time well. I used to have a check list which went something like: • Set a suitable pulse and clap the rhythm of the first four bars to a tapping foot (with luck that rhythm will be repeated). • Identify the key and look for any accidentals. • Is it mainly soft or mainly loud? • Is it mainly slurred or mainly tongued? • Start playing when asked and keep tapping your foot as you play to your chosen pulse. Don’t stop for anything. Keep going! www.bfs.org.uk 47 flute•

The aural tests are in some ways my favourite part of the exam. An odd thing to say perhaps, but it’s where you get to meet the performer and interact a little. It’s where the The aural tests are in player can show a little more of the breadth of their musicality. For me, to sing is to find some ways my favourite the most natural expression of your love of music. You may not do it well, but you cannot part of the exam. An odd stop yourself from relishing a lovely melody by humming it, or hearing it over and over thing to say perhaps, but it’s where you get to again in your head. It’s as natural as breathing. This internalising of musical sounds is, meet the performer and I think, a terribly important skill. It has all sorts of implications for the education and interact a little. development of musical response and it sits at the heart of all musical activity. How to find a way to make this a regular part of a young performer’s musical diet is quite a trick. Singing, especially for boys, can be excruciatingly embarrassing in front of their teacher. But playing is not. Take the play-back option and see what happens with practice. It feels a bit like improvisation sometimes, but what’s wrong with that? Or whistle the melodies and the pitching of notes instead. Boys do better when the focus moves to the bass line (cadences, modulations and singing the lowest part). Cash in on this and get them to sing tenor or bass in a mixed choir. At last they are feeling more grown up, hopefully. For the last test (musical response) you can start with their exam programme which you will probably already have touched on. I also get them to switch on to Radio Three or Classic FM for at least thirty seconds each day. They are to ask these questions: • What instrument (voice) is playing? • What’s the musical mood (finding some usefully descriptive words along the way, not just ‘happy’ and sad’) ? • Find the pulse—what time is it in? • When could it have been written? • Who might have written it—take a wild guess. It doesn’t matter if it’s completely wrong. I once was told a piece of renaissance music I had just played sounded like Fats Waller! Other questions can be added later. They have to stay tuned to the radio to get some of the answers, but in a way asking the questions is more important. There should be some smiles, even laughter in this part of the exam. I do always try to give a helping hand and a second go wherever possible. It’s important to give credit for trying here and the least little bit that comes right is reflected in both mark and comment. In the context of a well thought-out approach to performance preparation, I think exam nerves can be contained and even harnessed to positive effect. In the run-up to the exam (or concert performance), it is essential for the teacher to give supportive feedback to the pupil about how the preparation is going, strengthening the pupil’s idea of them- selves as someone capable of improving rather than someone who is, or is not talented. Feedback needs to focus on specific strategies for improvement rather than smothering the student with general praise. Once a student has the confident knowledge that he or she is improving because of a specific strategy, performance anxiety is much reduced. All will be well if nothing on the day comes as a surprise. It is true that taking a flute exam is hardly the most critical of life’s many tests, and keeping a sense of proportion at all times is very necessary. However, when handled carefully, it can be a worthwhile experience for everyone involved, producing a real sense of achievement and leading to more confident self-appraisal, which is a useful goal for all of us. •

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Composer focus Michael Colquhoun By Carla Rees

This is the first in an occasional series of articles about composers who often write for the flute.

ichael Colquhoun is an American flute player and composer whose works combine Mclassical and jazz traditions. His profes- sional life includes performing as a solo recitalist, teaching (including a position as Adjunct Professor of Music at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York) and composing. He has had commissions from Meet the Composer and the National Flute Association of America, among others, and his works are recorded on the Centaur and MC Media labels.

You seem to have a diverse range of musical influences, from world music to jazz and contemporary classical. How would you describe the style of your compositions? That’s very true. Thanks to the internet we have instant access to any music in the world at any time. Every composer must choose from this vast array of possibilities to decide which ones he or she will use in any given piece. We have to start from scratch for every project so diversity is a natural result. It’s not Mozart’s world any more. For me it is usually a mix of jazz-like harmonies and a fractured, non-linear structure. Who are your main compositional influences? Well, Morton Feldman of course since he was my main teacher. the doors of my creativity. I have never been inter- But I can also add the influence of Thelonius Monk, ested, for example, in playing all the standard flute Anthony Davis, Giacinto Scelsi, Sun Ra, Terry Riley, repertoire or orchestral music. Charles Ives and so on. Can you tell us a little about your role at Canisius College? When did you start playing the flute? And composing? I started I teach music literature classes such as twentieth as a self-taught improvising flutist in high school so I century music, which I really enjoy. Being in front of developed a lot of bad playing habits. I started com- a class teaching is very similar to being on a stage. I posing about a year later. also perform on my own and my colleagues’ faculty Your studies focused mainly on composition; do you consider recitals. yourself to be primarily a composer who plays the flute or as a flute Who were your main teachers and what were their most player who composes? Or are the two equally balanced? I think important messages to you? Robert Dick is my main flute I am a bit more of a composer who plays the flute. teacher; I was contemplating quitting playing before I Flute playing for me is very personal and opens up met up with him. He helped me technically and also www.bfs.org.uk 49 flute• with interpretation and understanding the repertoire. into the air. It is an amazingly transcendent experi- Compositionally there was Morton Feldman who was ence. It has happened to me (or to us) a few times. quite strict and demanding as a teacher. That chafed Also the uncanny feeling of knowing, whatever a bit but I learned a lot about instruments, pacing and you play, that you have totally connected with your non-linear development. I then studied with Lejaren audience. It’s as though you have become one entity. Hiller who had the opposite approach. It was any- These things mean much more to me than any award thing goes with him. So it was like Feldman pulled or prize. back the bow and Hiller shot the arrow. What projects are you currently working on? I am writing You use electronics quite often in your performance and com- a fully notated piece for flute, bassoon and piano positions. Do you have a standard set-up, and what does it entail? inspired by my triplet granddaughters. I also plan That’s funny because I am between set-ups right now. to record, with my long time guitarist Don Metz, a I used a DigiTech digital delay with a foot pedal for number of Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova songs. many years until it finally died for good. I tried a few These beautiful songs have either been neglected or other delays but they were unsatisfactory. I plan to badly played for too long. switch to a computer-based setup, but I haven’t done What are your plans for the future? This Fall I will finally it yet. start writing a short, snappy orchestra piece that has How do you integrate electronics with acoustic instruments? been kicking around in my head for years. Most of the time it’s just me and my flute with the Robert Dick was your PhD dissertation supervisor; what was the delay process. An exception would be my piece These main thrust of your research? It was a flute concerto, actu- Days for percussion trio and flute. That has a very ally. It is called Storyteller and the manuscript score is elaborate set-up and I used an assistant to run the 154 pages. It hasn’t been played—yet. multiple tape recorders involved. We did perform You are actively involved in educational work. How has the that piece live once. world changed since you started, in terms of an interest in classical Improvisation also features quite heavily in your music. How music and students’ exposure to it? Have you noticed an increased do you direct performers to improvise in the ‘right direction’ for interest in any particular style of music? Music programmes what you have in mind? With a jazz or Latin piece it’s easy here in the States have been improving a lot in the because there are well-established improvisatory pro- past few years. People here have finally realised that cesses in place. In less structured contexts you have to music studies are an essential part of a young per- make yourself very clear. It’s also good if you know son’s development. So by the time they reach me as the players involved and can tailor your composing or college undergraduates they have a much broader improvising to their strengths. knowledge base than in previous years. Also, inter- Why do you feel improvisation is important and how would you estingly, students that are involved with any sort of go about teaching it to a novice improviser? Improvisation is an ‘alternative’ music are much easier to reach when essential element to a well-rounded musician. That teaching modern classical music than the student the western classical world got away from it, starting who has only listened to three-minute pop tunes. in the nineteenth century, is really an aberration in the history of all music. As for teaching improvisa- tion it is like anything else. Start with easily assimi- lated scales like pentatonics and whole tone scales to develop a sense of freedom and confidence. That gets Altoflutes Bassflutes you going. What have been the main highlights of your career? I thought a lot about this question and the answer may surprise you. There is an old jazz saying called ‘Lift the band- Kingma-System Flutes Contrabasses stand’. It refers to an uncanny feeling when every- thing is clicking perfectly while playing. Suddenly the Hoofdstraat 10 ~ 9444 PB Grolloo ~ The Netherlands Tel.& Fax: +31 592-501659 ~ [email protected]~ www.kingmaflutes.com entire band feels as though they are lifting straight up

50 September 2010 flute•

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52 September 2010 flute•

• Reviews performances of Taffanel’s arrangements of the famous Gluck Dance of the Blessed Spirits and of a Chopin nocturne, along with Reinecke’s Sonate Undine, some of Taffanel’s own sightreading pieces, the Fauré Fantaisie, the Saint-Saëns Romance and a few other small pieces. CDs The second CD is full of surprises, including a Suite for flute and piano by the Vicomtesse Clémence de Grandval, whose aristocratic background did not prevent her from producing a charming twenty-two- minute work that should be better known. There are smaller works, equally worthy and equally forgotten, by Émile Bernard, François Borne, Charles-Édouard Lefèbvre and Louis Reynaud. The biggest surprise of this collection is an astonishing twenty-minute Sonata by Charles-Wilfred de Bériot (1833–1914). At this point I must force myself not to digress, for de Bériot’s background is as fascinating as can be imagined: he was the son of the legendary Malibran, born Maria-Felicia Garcia, a phenomenally successful soprano. (Think of Callas and you are getting close.) A Song without Words—The Legacy of Paul Taffanel. De Bériot’s Sonata is a huge, powerful, romantic work. Kenneth Smith, flute; Paul Rhodes, piano. 3 CD How has music like this been allowed to slip from set. Divine Art dda21371. the repertoire? The third CD is full of more surprises, including Paul Taffanel’s influence on the flute is a matter Albert Doyen’s Poèmes grecs and romances by Alfred of received knowledge: his teaching has informed Bruneau, Jacques Durand and Camille Saint-Saëns. generation after generation of flute players and There is an excellent (and, as a rare surprise) tasteful his own music has become standard repertoire. performance of Doppler’s Fantaisie pastorale hongroise and It is generally accepted that he influenced many a brilliant performance of the Widor Suite. The disc composers to look afresh at the flute’s capabilities. ends with (and I am running out of superlatives) a This splendid new three-CD set shows new sides to ravishing performance of an arrangement by Taffanel Taffanel’s art. Kenneth Smith, that most musicianly of of one of Mendelssohn’s Songs without words. Flute flute players, with his excellent partner Paul Rhodes, playing does not get better than this. For me, this is has selected three programmes of works by and the recording of the year. Robert Bigio associated with Taffanel. It is difficult to overstate the importance, never mind the delicious enjoyability, Joachim Andersen: Etudes and Salon Music. Kyle of this collection. Kenneth Smith’s virtuosity and Dzapo, flute; A. Matthew Mazzoni, piano. Naxos glorious sound are put to the best use, and Paul 8.572277. Rhodes shows himself to be an ideal chamber music partner. Kyle Dzapo has researched the life and works of The first CD begins with a stunning performance Andersen very thoroughly, resulting in the publication of Taffanel’s Freyschutz fantasy and includes ravishing of her Joachim Andersen: A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood www.bfs.org.uk 53 flute•

• Reviews

music at Kingston University. The first work on the disc is Poulenc’s Sonata for oboe and piano, while the last, Following On, is a substantial composition by Tim Ewers, also for oboe and piano, based on the motif of four notes heard at the start of the earlier work. While Ewers’s compositional style is, as he states in the notes, quite different from that of Poulenc, the two works create a similar mood. Between them there are performances of Poulenc’s Mélancolie for solo piano and Sonata for flute and piano, as well as several other pieces by Tim Ewers, Flautando for flute and piano, Chimborazo for flute, oboe and piano, Kite for solo oboe, Press, Westport, 1999). It seems a natural further step Rainy Days and Holidays for solo piano and Solitaire for for her to record some of his works. Andersen’s skill solo flute. My personal favourite of all the pieces is as a transcriber is illustrated by two of the attractive Kite, which manages to convey a multitude of moods Schwedische Polska-Lieder by Isidor DannstrÖm, and he and colours using only conventional oboe techniques. contributed to Ciardi’s Le carnaval russe by the addi- Christopher O’Neal’s performance is magical. For me tion of florid cadenzas. Also included are three of the least successful work on the CD is the Poulenc the Acht Vortragesstücke, the Fantasy on Don Giovanni, the Flute Sonata. In all the other pieces, Ileana Ruhemann Deuxième Morceau de Concert, and the third and last of plays quite beautifully, with a warm, seductive tone, his Op. 15 set of studies. This varied and representa- and she manages to incorporate all the extended tive programme shows Andersen by turns in light- techniques effortlessly. I have rarely heard many of hearted mood, charming, and profound; Ms. Dzapo these techniques used so well by the composer and responds admirably, playing throughout with a pleas- performed so musically. However, the Sonata seems antly warm sound, expressive phrasing and techni- to lack originality in its interpretation and there are cal control, conveying a sense of affection for, and a number of small blemishes in the clarity, especially involvement in, Andersen’s music. Christopher Steward in the last movement. I think this work has now been recorded so often that it needs to be played excep- tionally well, with some new insights, if we are to have yet another performance, and this one is lacking in sparkle. The rest of the CD more than makes up for this, though, with all three players producing some beautiful tone and phrasing. Kathron Sturrock proves once again what a superb chamber music pianist she is and I am very pleased to have been introduced to the music of Tim Ewers. Brenda Dykes

The Balkan Project. The Cavatina Duo: Eugenia Moliner, flute; Denis Azabagic, guitar. Cedille CDR Following On. Music for flute, oboe and piano by 90000 117. Poulenc and Tim Ewers. The Fibonacci Sequence: Ileana Ruhemann, flute; Christopher O’Neal, In his well-written notes for this CD Vogislav Ivanović oboe; Kathron Sturrock, piano. Guild GMCD 7344. gives a useful background to the development and nature of Balkan music. Traditional songs and dances This CD is divided between the music of Poulenc have been extensively re-arranged here for flute and and that of Tim Ewers, who is a senior lecturer in guitar by a number of composers, mostly non-Balkan.

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Machado, the Finnish Suite by Paul Svoboda, Atanas Ourkonozounov’s Macedonian Song, and Luminescence by Dana Wilson, another song-like piece, this time with jazz overtones. Unfortunately there is some distor- tion on some higher notes, for which the record- ing is apparently responsible. These are thought- ful interpretations, but I found myself wanting the music to take wing, to acquire an extra degree of life. Nevertheless this disc is of particular interest for its repertoire. Christopher Steward

Much of this music is characterised by the use of modes, and of irregular metres in the dances. One soon becomes caught up in this unfamiliar but fas- cinating world of sound: the wistfulness and yearn- ing of the songs contrasts with the irresistible pulse of the dances, all of which is played to the manner born by Eugenia Moliner and her Balkan guitarist. To anybody to who is responsive to music incorporating colourful and evocative melody, and almost hypnoti- cally joyful rhythm, all beautifully performed—buy this disc. Christopher Steward

Eight Visions: A New Anthology for Flute and Piano. Marya Martin, flute; Colette Valentine, piano. Naxos 8.559629.

Eight Visions represents the culmination of an ambi- tious and admirable project to commission, record, and publish eight new works for flute and piano, undertaken by New Zealand-born and American- based flautist Marya Martin. Ned Rorem’s Four Prayers perhaps represents the musical height of the col- lection. Also exciting is Kenji Bunch’s Velocity, a fine example of the post-minimalist technique, fusing elements of the eighteenth-century ‘Mannheim Luminescence. Kate Steinbeck, flute; Amy Rocket’, rock, and bebop into a dynamic and engag- Brucksch, guitar; with the assistance of River ing single-movement piece. Guierguerian, percussion; Franklin Keel, cello. Flute reviews policy Navya N210. 1. A review is published for the benefit of the reader, not simply to give an artist some publicity. This CD presents a very varied programme of original 2. We do not guarantee to publish a review of every and transcribed works for flute and guitar, with the item sent to us. occasional addition of cello and percussion. Bach’s 3. The editorial team will choose the reviewer. Unsolicited reviews will not be accepted. Sonata in C and the Pièce en forme de Habanera by Ravel are 4. The reviewer may not like the work. A good review set against five colourful pieces by the Brazilian Celso is not guaranteed. www.bfs.org.uk 55 flute•

• Reviews

I will not be sad in this world by Eve Beglarian sets The flute was hugely popular in eighteenth-century the ‘live’ alto flute against an electronically altered Scotland as many of the most important early col- and pre-recorded vocal track based on a song by an lections of traditional music were marketed to flute Armenian troubadour, and is a beautiful and spacious players. During the nineteenth and twentieth centu- musical meditation. Unfortunately, the recording ries the flute’s popularity in traditional circles was suffers from some poor production choices: an overly eclipsed by the fiddle, pipes, harp and accordion. resonant acoustic somewhat dilutes Martin’s sound This remarkable recording, Let Me In This Ae Night, and the piano is often a little too present in the final signals a new breakthrough in drawing various genres mixture. There is little doubt as to Martin’s virtuosity. of music onto one canvas. Scottish and baroque music A student of Nyfenger, Rampal and Galway, her are the main root elements. Much more than a ‘cross- pedigree could hardly be finer. However, her sound over’ recording, this project embodies the ideals of often appears rather unfocused and vapid (perhaps a rhetoric and rhythm that are rarely heard in today’s consequence of the acoustic) and in some of the less scene, regardless of the genre. This is a duo recording idiomatic works, such as Chen Yi’s Three Bagatelles from with Chris Norman on various flutes and small pipes, China West, the interpretation feels a little too literal. together with David Greenberg on baroque violin As ever with Naxos, the price offers an interesting and octave-low violin. David, like Chris, has had a and worthwhile survey, even if this is not a disc to long career in North America and Britain working be returned to all that often. Thomas Hancox in both baroque and traditional music circles. The complete absence of other accompaniment heightens the intensity of the musical conversation taking place, and these two artists are taking chances and playing with an abandon that is quite stunning. With this duo CD I got a chance to hang out and drink in the combined sound of strings and wind, in a way that is particularly appealing to me, given my background as a Scots fireside singer, occasional fiddler, Cape Breton champion, and as an appreciator of the eighteenth-century early music movement. Both these musicians are firing on all cylinders, bringing passion, intellect, sensitivity and raw rhythmic power to bear on a broad swath of mostly eighteenth-century music. I do wish more of us Let Me In This Ae Night. Chris Norman and David Scots could wield their instruments with the same Greenberg Duo: Chris Norman, flute, pipes, passion, skill, style, and informed scholarship that voice and pump-organ; David Greenberg, violin, Norman and Greenberg bring to bear, reminding us octave violin and pump organ. Boxwood Media that the Scots-Cape Breton heritage shines brighter (www.boxwood.org) when delivered with masterful playing. In their direct juxtaposition with the eighteenth-century continental Chris Norman is known to many as an outstanding art form, these two artists demonstrate that indeed it performer on simple system flutes and as the director was only a very few short steps for Nathaniel Gow of the Boxwood Festival and Workshop, which has and others to move from the formal chamber music taken place annually for the past fifteen years in his recital, to the dance floor and wild Strathspeys, in native Nova Scotia as well as in New Zealand, and eighteenth-century Edinburgh. most recently in Taiwan. Chris has spent decades I am delighted to have this recording, and I play it researching and bringing to life the traditional music often. It is an inspiring recording that every flute or of Maritime Canada and reviving the once thriv- fiddle player should own, enjoy and learn from. ing art of flute playing in Scottish traditional music. Rod Cameron

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four-movement commission inspired by Charles Ives’s monumental fourth symphony. Not endowed with the resources of two symphony orchestras, Jamie makes up for it with oblique imagination, employing intriguing ele- ments such as a flute and vocal improvised dialogue— song and spoken word intertwined, bizarrely leading to a couple of minutes of JFK’s posturing Vietnam war archive speech, ultimately superimposed by a jazz septet. But does it work—yes! Not all the tracks are this challenging though. Jamie writes with a variety of elements; long sinewy angular unison melodies—with that sexiest of duos, alto flute and Solace. Jamie Baum Septet. Sunnyside SSC1193. flugelhorn—juxtaposed against contrapuntal trombone and sax lines, unconventionally harmonic chorale-like This album is a substantial labour of love by New York sections and backings of loosely controlled confusion. jazz flautist Jamie Baum. A thoughtful, considered col- Baum’s improvisations on both concert and alto flutes lection of pieces showcases Jamie the composer—a trite incorporate a mixture of motif building and fluid lines showcase for the flute this is not. It is evident that Jamie with little reference to the conventional bebop harmonic has worked long and hard to write and produce the ele- style. ments of this project, surrounding herself with a septet of Don’t walk away from this album expecting to whistle jazz musicians, notably George Colligan on piano whose the tunes on your way home—it’s not that kind of gig. Do effervescent solos punctuate with poise and intrigue. The however dip in and out to enjoy some intriguing soloing, ten tracks on the CD are dominated by the Ives Suite, a ensembling and angular musical architecture. Mike Mower

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• Reviews

instruments will allow you to hear your music as you intend. Finale also offers full support for a range of VST and AU sounds, but those which are compatible with Kontakt player tend to perform best. Technology If you are short of time, Finale will even do a pretty good arrangement of music for you or reduce it to a short score, re-write a part in Tab, provide Band-in-a- Box Autoharmonizing and create instant percussion parts. Lyrics can be entered into vocal music with great ease. When the score is completed, it can be printed it out. Alternatively, requesting ‘Export to Audio file’ will convert it into a ‘recording’ for transfer to a CD or MP3 player. Or you can share your music with others via the free down- loadable Finale Reader. Handy for the educator and new in Finale 2011 is ‘Alphanotes’, a staff notation in which the note name is shown inside each note head. SmartMusic accompaniments can be made to help the student learn and there is a package of pre-written worksheets for scales, jazz improvisation and ear training. For those who already know Finale, this latest version includes an updated Aria Finale 2011. Windows and Mac. MakeMusic, Inc. player, Capo chords and improved staff layout. For those who are new, there are good training videos to help you The days of writing a score and then spending hours labo- on your way. And to sum up—I love it! Roz Trübger riously copying out the parts by hand are thankfully long gone. Now notation software like Finale is a regular part of the musician’s toolkit, carrying out tasks like part creation and transposition effortlessly and efficiently. For teachers and students added attractions include worksheets and ADULT EDUCATION SmartMusic accompaniments. Since its first appearance in Part-time courses in adult education

1988, Finale has gone through a series of improvements Flute classes and updates to its latest appearance as Finale 2011. The Enjoy learning many aspects of flute playing including sight- box describes it as ‘providing easy access to everything reading, improvisation, solo and ensemble playing in a friendly you need to compose, arrange, play and print music…or and supportive environment. We offer beginners’ levels to advanced levels. MP3 files for your iPod.’ So how well does it live up to the description? Courses in Music Entering notes is easy with a variety of methods to Beginners’ to professional levels in • Instrumental classes suit personal taste: ‘Hyperscribe’ builds scores from notes • Jazz & Popular music classes played on a MIDI keyboard or wind instrument. My favour- • Ear training, harmony and musicianship ite method, ‘Speedy’, requires two hands in a combination • Vocal and Piano studies – classical and contemporary styles • Training in sequencing packages and hard-disc recording of MIDI keyboard and computer keyboard. ‘Simple’ is a • Professional development slower method of mouse clicking. Existing music can be • Music Foundation courses and Music Access Course imported as a MIDI file or scanned in. All methods work • Music appreciation well, especially with practice, and offer shortcuts and Telephone for further advice options for greater flexibility and speed. You’ll want to Music Department: 020 7492 2630 sit back and hear your music before you go to print or Keeley Street London WC2B 4BA record. The Human Playback facility responds to details in www.citylit.ac.uk the score and the library of authentic-sounding Garritan

58 September 2010 flute•

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the new Associated Board Examination books, as they only need to buy one for each exam. However when confronted by a list of three books to buy, this is sometimes met with some resistance. The ‘Best of’ Music series really provides a solution to this problem. Each book contains all the great pieces that we know and love to teach, ranging from Pamela Wedgwood’s Hot Chilli and Keep Truckin’, which appear in the Grade 1 The Best of Grade 1 to 5 Flute. Selected and edited book, to Abreu’s Tico Tico and the Sicilienne by Fauré, by Sally Adams. Faber Music. which appear in the Grade 5 book. Each book has a dedicated CD with a performance This is a series of five books that has been compiled of the piece followed by the piano accompaniment and edited by Sally Adams. Sally really has chosen the alone. This is a very useful teaching tool and means that very best pieces from the major examination boards. students can enjoy the whole performing experience This material will provide students with excellent and at home, bringing their own music-making to life. varied repertoire that will complement their exami- However, the accompaniments are all played at the nation preparation. correct tempo and many times students have come It is very easy when teaching a large number of into lessons downhearted, saying that they could not pupils a week to focus on only working towards grade keep up with the CD and so stopped playing. This is examinations, and in fact some parents insist on a a small plea: in the future could there be a track that quick progression from examination to examination. is slightly slower so that young students could still In doing so it is easy to lose sight of the real reasons for perform at home and still feel a sense of achievement playing a musical instrument. Parents have welcomed about their playing? The books are laid out very clearly and Sally has written helpful comments about how to approach Your Flute playing each piece, including thoughts on articulation or how to experiment with different tone colours. Your Passion In the Grade 1 book she comments on how bar 21 of Hot Chilli will need extra work. I am sure many flute teachers will have this bar imprinted on their Insurance ? memories! The ‘Best of’ series represents excellent value for Our Speciality money. Every book provides repertoire encompassing many styles of music, all of which are fun to play. Call Newmoon Insurance Stephanie Core Services on: 0845 072 8539 Handmade Flutes or visit in Silver, Gold © and Mokumeum www.newmooninsurance.com . Hoevenstraat 8 5712 GW Someren The Netherlands . info@eloyfl utes.com www.eloyfl utes.com . t: +31 (0)493 471290

www.bfs.org.uk 59 Adv. Convention Program 03 B/W/Greyscale.indd 1 flute•5/15/08 11:40:56 AM

• Reviews

Hilary Taggart: The Noisy Oyster (solo pieces for After the Rainstorm provides a useful interval study, flute or alto flute). Hiltag Music. although the rhythmic simplicity of both this and the final piece, My Dog Has Fleas comes as something This is a collection of seven intermediate (Grade of a surprise after the earlier pieces. All but one 6 to 8) solo pieces, composed at the request of of the pieces can be played on alto flute, and serve low flutes specialist Peter Sheridan. The music is an excellent gap in the market by providing light- well presented, in large print and with well-con- hearted but well-structured pieces for educational sidered page turns. The pieces are enjoyable to use. The current surge of interest in the alto flute play and written in a popular style. I enjoyed some needs to be supported by more repertoire of this more than others; for example, the first piece, The kind, to suit the intermediate level player, and I Noisy Oyster, has much to offer, with its jazzy style hope this is the first of many similar volumes by a and fast pace. There is a good sense of rhythmic range of composers. Carla Rees energy and the piece could easily stand alone in a recital programme. I also particularly enjoyed the Mark Goddard: Sonatina for flute and piano. Partita, which brings to mind elements of baroque Spartan Press. style within Taggart’s contemporary idiom. The alternating 7/8 and 2/4 bar lengths give a good This is an attractive piece which was written in sense of irregularity to the pulse, with the pauses 1978 and given its first performance by Robert giving a sense of freedom within the interpreta- Winn at the Royal Academy of Music, London. tion. However, I found a little too much repetition It also is of historical interest as it was the first in some of the later pieces, such as Autumn Leaves, piece ever to be published by Spartan Press. Now which would be useful as a study but potentially it appears in this new edition, nicely printed on less musically interesting in a concert scenario. excellent quality paper and with a cover that is

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Reviews • both strong and good-looking: students like the collection of flute music. They give off a delight- purple dog. fully Japanese sound whilst remaining firmly At first glance, the music might appear rather rooted in a style that is sufficiently Western to ‘fearsome’ on account of the many semiquavers and be immediately accessible. For example, number wide range, but in reality it is relatively simple to 4, Haruyo Koi (‘Come Spring’) reminds me of the play, lying easily under the fingers and with many Sicilienne by Fauré. attractive textures and opportunities for colour With the flute parts being of equal difficulty, that make it rewarding for both instruments to notes placed mostly in the middle of the range, play. There are three movements which encompass straightforward key signatures and regular the entire range of the flute with a wide variety rhythms, these pieces are generally rewarding of dynamics, flutter-tonguing and glissando that to play and suited to flautists of intermediate make a showy piece for performance as well as standard. All five pieces have Japanese titles with a useful tool for learning. It has proved popular English translations and I particularly enjoyed the with all my students who tried it and also, in my first and fourth duets which would make attractive opinion, is a very good introduction for them to concert items. Also they could be useful in an playing contemporary music. Roz Trübger educational context as they make require much dynamic contrast and the ability to play with Traditional Japanese Melodies arranged for two and without vibrato. One full page of the copy is flutes by Gary Schocker. Falls House Press. devoted to information about Gary Schocker but, especially since the first piece is dedicated ‘to There is a refreshing touch of ‘something a little bit Shigenori and Yoko Takahashi’, I wished some different’ about these five unaccompanied duets, background to this music had also been included. which will make them a welcome addition to any Anzeige_U.K. Justflutes 2009 Roz Trübger

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www.bfs.org.uk 61 flute•

The British Flute Society Council Wissam Boustany Chairman • Tony Barr • Kate Cuzner Area Representative Co-ordinator • Anne Hodgson • Simon Hunt • Carole Jenner-Timms • Karen Jones • Alastair Learmont • Matthew Lynch • Mike MacMahon • Rachel Misson Treasurer • Tony Ovenell • Hugh Phillips AFT Representative • John Rayworth Membership Secretary Officers Robert Bigio Editor • Alastair Learmont Legal Representative • Anna Munks Secretary and Advertising Manager Nick Wallbridge Webmaster and Software Consultant • Kenneth Bell Archivist

Contact details for all council members and officers are available from the BFS website (www.bfs.org.uk) or from the secretary, Anna Munks, 27 Eskdale Gardens, Purley, Surrey CR8 1ET. 020 8668 3360. [email protected] Area representatives Avon & Somerset Carole Jenner-Timms 01761 233982 • Birmingham Margaret Lowe 0121 474 3549 • Cheshire Dawn Savell 01925 416647 • Cumbria Suzanne de Lozey 01539 560054 • Devon (West) and Cornwall (East) Kym Burton 01837 861138 • East Sussex Anne Hodgson 01273 812580 • Hertfordshire Wendy Walshe 01707 261573 • Hertfordshire (Hitchin) Liz Childs 07711 080275 • Kent Pat Daniels 01732 770141 • Lancashire Mark Parkinson 01257 410856 • Lancashire (Preston) Jane Pembleton-Smyth 01772 864587 • Leicestershire Elizabeth Rowan 0116 251 4595 • London (East) and Essex Kate Cuzner 01787 273628 • London (South East) Susan-Mary Whittaker • London (South West) Julie Wright 020 8241 7572 • Norfolk Elaine Smith 01508 538215 • North Yorkshire Jill Shepherd 01904 424411 • Northamptonshire Marion Titmuss 01933 353721 • Suffolk Sylvia Fairley 01394 386876 • Surrey Jackie Cox 020 8773 0436 • Swansea Hugh Phillips 01792 865825 • West Sussex Lindy Thwaites 01243 553623 • West Yorkshire Tracey Smurthwaite 01924 211538 International Representative Julie Wright 020 8241 7572 • France Atarah Ben-Tovim +33 5574 74428 • Australia (Melbourne) Paula Rae +61(0)418502664 • Bahrain Paul Bagshaw +973 36411105 • Qatar Pat Smith +974 4678121 • Thailand Kraig Sackmann +66 081 135 3403 • Muscat, Oman Nick Foster +968 95203966 The Association of Flute Traders

All Flutes Plus 60–61 Warren Street, London W1T 5NZ 020 7388 8438 www.allflutesplus.co.uk Arista Flutes 10 Railroad Avenue, Bedford MA 01730, USA +1 781 275 8821 www.aristaflutes.com Bill Lewington Unit 8, Hornsby Square, Southfields Industrial Park, Laindon, Essex SS15 6SD 01268 413366 www.bill-lewington.com Burkart Flutes & Piccolos 2 Shaker Road, #D107, Shirley MA 01467 USA +1 978 425 4500 www.burkart.com Chapel Digital Music Publishers 1 Southfield Avenue, Leeds LS17 6RN 0113 2663994 www.music-for-flute.com CMA Publications Strawberry Holt, Westfield Lane, Draycott, Somerset BS27 3TN 01934 740270 www.cma-publications.co.uk Dawkes Music Reform Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 8BT 01628 630800 www.dawkes.co.uk Dawsons Music Ltd. 65 Sankey Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1SU 01925 622197 www.dawsons.co.uk Eloy Flutes BV Hoevenstraat 8, 5712 GW Someren, Netherlands +31 493 471290 www.eloyflutes.com Emanuel Flutes 1001 Great Pond Road, North Andover MA 01845 USA +1 978 686 6009 www.emanuelflutes.com William S. Haynes Company 12 Piedmont Street, Boston MA 02116 USA +1 617 482 7456 www.wmshaynes.com Jupiter/Di Medici c/o Korg UK Ltd. 9 Newmarket Court, Kingston, Milton Keynes MK10 0AU 01980 857100 www.korguk.com Eva Kingma Flutes Hoofdstraat 10, 9444 PB Grolloo, The Netherlands +31 592501659 www.kingmaflutes.com Lopatin Flute Company 122 Riverside Dr., Studio C, Asheville, North Carolina 28801 USA +1 828 350 7762 www.lopatinflutes.com Mancke Flutes Dürsitter 1, D-54597 Lünebach, Germany +49 6556 900858 www.mancke-flutes.com Kevin Mayhew Publishers Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3BW 01449 737978 www.kevinmayhew.com Jonathan Myall/Just Flutes 46 South End, Croydon CR0 1DP 020 8662 8400 www.justflutes.com Pearl Flutes c/o Gareth McLearnon, Pearl Music Europe 07771 880462 www.pearlflute.com Studio Music Ltd. Cadence House, Eaton Green Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 9LD 01582 432139 www.studio-music.co.uk Top Wind 2 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RJ 020 7401 8787 www.topwind.com Trevor J. James Worldwind House, Ashmill Park, Ashford Road, Lenham, Kent ME17 2GQ 01622 859590 www.trevorjames.com United Music Publishers Ltd. 33 Lea Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1ES 01992 703111 www.ump.co.uk Universal Edition (London) Ltd. 48 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7BB 020 7439 6678 www.universaledition.com/london Williams Flutes 1165 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 201, Arlington MA 02476-4331 +1 781 643 8839 www.williamsflutes.com Windstruments 1 Ryshworth Bridge, Crossflats, Bingley, Bradford BD16 2DX 01274 510050 www.windstruments.co.uk Wiseman Cases 7 Genoa Road, London SE20 8ES 020 8778 0752 www.wisemancases.com Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd. Sherbourne Drive, Tilbrook, Milton Keynes MK7 8BL 0870 4445575 www.yamaha-music.co.uk

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Membership of the BFS UK Small advertisements Individual £28 Two members at the same address £35 • Student (under 26), OAP and disabled £18 Schools and flute clubs £28 ESSENTIAL ADVICE from Nicholas Vallis-Davies: Europe ‘Bury the ego and radiate love instead—your Individual £35 flute-playing (and your life!) will deepen and Student (under 26), OAP and disabled £24 become sweeter.’ More thoughts, films etc at: Schools and flute clubs £35 www.OpenAcademy.info Worldwide www.YouTube.com/VallisDavies Individual (air mail) £40 Student (under 26), OAP and disabled £28 Schools and flute clubs £40 • Life membership UK individual £420 UK joint £600 Flute Powell (#5752/1980) for sale £6000. In line, Europe individual £525 C foot, open holes, solid silver 00 32 498 791 555 Europe joint £660 [email protected] World individual £600 World joint £750 Membership Secretary John Rayworth Hardbank Croft, Hardbank, How Mill, Brampton, Cumbria CA8 9LL Telephone 0845 680 1983 Email [email protected] Index of advertisers

Abell Flutes 57 Just Flutes IBC Akiyama Flutes 60 Eva Kingma Flutes 50 All Flutes Plus 10 Lopatin Flutes 60 Allianz Cornhill 26 Mancke Flutes 61 BFS Competitions 7 Miyazawa Flutes 44 BFS/RAM Premier Flautist Series 6 New Moon Insurance 59 BFS/Trinity Laban Flute Festival 6 National Flute Association 52 Brannen Brothers Flutes 57 Ormiston Flutes 60 Rachel Brown 4 Pearl Flutes IFC Burkart Flutes 12 Rarescale 51 Burkart Resona Flutes 25 Royal Society of Musicians 52 City Lit 58 Sally Sloan (Flutefix) 61 Divine Art 9 Schott Music Publishers 26 Eloy Flutes 59 Top Wind OBC Flautissimo 23 Trevor James Flutes 2 Flutemasters 9 Trubcher Publishing (A-Listers) 61 www.bfs.org.uk 63 flute•

The Last Word: Some thoughts on teaching talented pupils By Anna Pope

teach at the Junior Royal Academy of Music and The Purcell School, and consider it an immense privilege to be working with talented young musicians through their forma- I tive years. Their excitement in coming to music for the first time keeps everything fresh for me (very important given the limitations of the flute repertoire!), and watching their personalities unfold, musically and otherwise, is endlessly fascinating. Pupils arrive at different ages and stages of development. Sometimes one needs imagi- nation to see the path ahead because they are so inhibited by tension or anxiety, and sometimes, regrettably, by ingrained bad habits. Setting them on the right track without discouraging them can take time and patience. At all stages of teaching I am constantly analysing, trying to work out the reasons behind what I am hearing. My methods will be flexible as everyone has a different way of learning. I am not very good at planning specific lesson content in advance. Whenever I try, I find that it is inappropriate for one reason or another—the energy levels of the student, some specific problem they want to resolve or some exciting breakthrough. Sometimes it is good to go along with a huge enthusiasm to play some piece, sometimes one has to exert discipline and go back to basics against their inclinations…For me it is all about judging the situation as it presents itself, and using a Anna Pope studied with lot of instinct. Many of the important things about flute playing are very close to singing. Maija Lielausis and later A beautiful sound and the ability to ‘sing’ a phrase expressively and naturally are funda- with William Bennett, after mental, so tone work is the basis of everything. To establish a good practice routine I try graduating from Oxford with to help pupils to acquire the self-discipline they will need throughout their lives. Fear of a First in Russian. She has consequences at the next lesson is no substitute for strong inner motivation and an under- given recitals in the Purcell standing of the relevance of every part of their practice. Room and for music societies and festivals in this country, My aim is always to develop each pupil’s individual voice; I should be worried if they Italy, Germany and in Sweden were to sound similar to one other. Musically I try to give them a logical approach and where she made a series then guide rather than dictate. With flute and piano repertoire I prefer the pupil to start by of broadcasts on Swedish sight-reading with piano, so that notes are learned in the context of the general structure Radio. She has free-lanced and character of the piece, and to play with piano frequently. Otherwise proper musical with various orchestras and knowledge can depend on repeated listening to recordings, which I discourage until chamber groups, and her students have arrived at their own interpretations. I spend a lot of ‘thinking time’ away ensemble ‘Pipe Dreams’ has from lessons, considering how to make progress in a particular area, planning repertoire, recorded music for two flutes and sometimes worrying about how to help pupils through a difficult patch in their lives. and piano. A great deal is demanded of these young people and they need to be fit and in a positive She has been a professor frame of mind. Self-criticism is necessary, but equally necessary is confidence, and keeping of flute for twenty years at the two in balance can be tricky. I never compare pupils to each other; the terms ‘better’ the Junior Royal Academy and ‘best’ don’t have any meaning for me unless applied narrowly to specific performances. of Music and has taught at I feel strongly that music is not a competitive sport. Competitions can provide a useful the Purcell School for nearly showcase but must not influence people’s opinions of themselves (for good or bad). as long. Teaching is the Standards are so high and so much work goes into achieving them that it is all too easy focus of her interest and her for pressure and ambition to become a burden. The joy and freedom of music-making pupils have enjoyed notable must be guarded at all costs. If this is lost, then I have failed, irrespective of whether or not success. They have been a music becomes the chosen profession. continuous presence in the I have been teaching at this level for a long time now, and sometimes on a good day I NYO since 1993, including feel I am just beginning to understand how to do it, but mostly I think that I am just at the three as principal flute. beginning. I know for certain that I am extremely fortunate and that a lifetime is definitely too short.

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