Genre:

Chamber

Release Date:

Apr 2013

Recorded:

2013

Number of Discs:

1

Catalog Number:

OACD9012D

Adam Walker - Vocalise (Opus Arte)

Adam Walker (Flute); James Baillieu (Piano);

Principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra, Adam Walker presents a recital of alternately lyric and dynamic music for flute and piano. A lovelorn song from 'Die schöne Müllerin' forms the basis of a set of variations by Schubert, and reflective songs without words by Poulenc and Barber offer mellifluous contrast with the dancing energy of Bartók, Messiaen and Poulenc's sonata.

Reviews

"Flautist Adam Walker is a stunning talent ... he plays with the artistry of a performer of maturer years." (The Guardian)

"... the programme could not be more enticing. Poulenc’s Flute Sonata has one of those exquisite, unforgettable cantilena slow movements, and it is played here quite magically. The work then ends with a delicious Presto giocoso, which brings stunning virtuosity from Adam Walker. I did not know Messiaen’s Leçons de solfège but they include another seductive Très lent and an equally memorable Modéré finale, played by both artists quite hauntingly. Bartók’s Suite paysanne hongroise was another surprise – 15 miniatures, including nine brief Hungarian peasant dances (to my ears not very Bartókian), all brimming over with charm. Barber’s rather melancholy Canzone is touchingly vocal and has much in common with Poulenc’s Vocalise. The concert ends, appropriately, with Schubert’s only significant work for flute, a set of variations on the 18th song in Die schöne Müllerin, its variety of style providing flautist and pianist with a diverting partnership which they relish. They are beautifully recorded." (Gramophone)

"Both performers delivered an intelligently programmed recital with considerable style and flair, beginning with a substantial work by Schubert." (www.classicalsource.com)