Search - Kalevi Aho, Christian Lindberg, Haukur Tomasson :: Nordic Spell

A gorgeous modern CD

Biblibio | 09/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the beautiful sound of the name "Nordic Spell". Just listen to the overall sounds of the CD. Are you looking for something exciting, delicate, imaginative, and overall beautiful? Behold your disc.



Aho's concerto is first. This was my first of several extremely favorable encounters with Kalevi Aho, and I'm sure it will be as enjoyable for you. The concerto ties together just about everything you could ever hope for - long, melodic moments, exciting moments, and some very fun throat-trill moments in the second movement. The whole concerto has a very modern, fresh feel to it, and yet you almost feel as though it's the picture the title painted in your mind. Very beautiful, indeed.



Tomasson's concerto is next. Though a very different piece, there is still the same air of beauty, mystery and excitement to the piece. This concerto also changes pace several times, but as with the previous, it maintains a solid level of intrigue. Modern sound, interesting, but the flute playing is just so beautiful that it takes you breath away.



"The World of Montuagretta" by Christian Lindberg is perhaps my favorite piece though. Much more upbeat, exciting and energetic, I listen to it perched at the edge of my seat, smiling widely. It too has its more drawn-out moments, but is overall a quicker piece.



Sharon Bezaly plays these three pieces wonderfully. Her tone is clear, the sound good, and the music surprising. It is not typical repertoire (seeing as these pieces are relatively modern), but it has a great sound to it. Bezaly is an excellent flute player and her playing will win you over.



If you don't particularly like modern music, this may not be the disc for you. However, for the true flute lovers, this is a wonderful CD of some great new music played by an incredible flautist. Enjoy!"