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The repertoire for this upcoming concert includes some of our favourite pieces to play. The Larose Duo finds hidden treasures in the seemingly bottomless depository of classical music, that are exemplary of a composer's style, and then arranges them for flute and piano. And sometimes, on our program you will hear lesser known works by the great composers (Ravel, Elgar, Granados), and be introduced to some great works by lesser known composers (Piazzolla, Paul Reade, Claude Bolling).
What's on the program?
Composer Enrique Granados was based in Barcelona and wrote expressively for piano, using harmonizations and melodies infused with Spanish grace and nuance. Some of his last recordings were made for player piano music rolls; you can access them on Youtube. The Larose Duo has arranged Dansa de la Rosa and Oriental from his piano suites.
French composer Maurice Ravel has written one of the world's most recognizable pieces: Bolero. The Larose Duo will perform a 'junior' version of it: Piece en Forme de Habanera. This Habanera is a Cuban dance; the repetitive rhythm (like the ostinato in Bolero) in the piano left hand is interwoven with massive piano chords and a spinning melody in the flute, soaring up and down the modal scale.
Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, virtuoso bandoneon player, wrote in the nuevo tango style, which combined the traditional tango with elements of jazz and classical music. Three of our favourite pieces by Piazzolla will be included in this program: Vuelvo al Sur, (Return to the South), Ausencias (Absence), and Ouverture.
Paul Reade was an English composer, known for his work in television. A very popular series on the Victorian Kitchen Garden featured music written in five movements, each depicting an aspect of the garden. The Larose Duo is playing an arrangement originally for clarinet and piano; however, it works very well when played on the flute.
Edward Elgar wrote a charming piece called Chanson de Matin; it captures the joy of the freshness of the dawn of a new day.
French composer Claude Bolling is alive and well; his Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano, recorded by his own trio with the great French Flutist Jean Pierre Rampal, was at the top of the charts for years, becoming the most listened to flute piece of all time. Larisa and I will play Javanaise and Irelandaise from this suite in this recital.
English Flutist and Composer Ian Clarke composed a mesmerizing flute piece called Hypnosis. It has become one of our favourite pieces to play.
We love to play Tico Tico by Brazilian composer Zequinha de Abreu. Who wouldn't want to pretend to be Carmen Miranda?
The Heroes of Valencia
Music and Story for Family Audiences