Search - Andreasen, Oland :: Flute Music of the Danish Golden Age

A rare presentation of Danish classical music.

darragh o'donoghue | 09/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In spite of the CD's title, these five pieces have little immediate regional character, and could have been produced in any of the major European capitals (unless you count the spry cool natural to the flute as somehow inherently Scandanavian). Of course, these works, deriving from the Classical and early Romantic eras, predate the late-19th century move towards musical nationalism.In any case, the masterpiece of this collection, Kuhlau's 'Duo Brillante' was actually composed by a German, who had escaped to Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike the other pieces, the piano plays a prominent, even aggressive part: the first movement is full of glistening Mozartian bravura; the slow second features slightly heavier, Beethoven-like expansiveness. Pianist Anna Oland clearly relishes the opportunity to take a more active role.The other notable piece is Hartmann's 'Flute Sonata in B Flat Major', with its gorgeous, mercurial long opening movement, flowingly played by flautist H. W. Andreasen, and quietly melancholy slow parts. The other works, by Frohlich and Weyse, are attractive but virtually indistinguishable, and veer close to wallpaper."