Beauty Crying Forth
Furious Artisans, 2020
8/10
The flutist Sarah Frisof and pianist Daniel Pesca come together for these compositions that cover one and half centuries for flute by female composer, where the cello from Hannah Collins is present, too.
“Alma”, by Tania Leon, starts the listen with Frisof’s lively flute that suits Pesca’s dancing keys, and “Three Romances”, by Clara Schumann, follows with an indeed romantic spirit via the lovely key progressions and dreamy flute.
“Nocturne” lands in the middle and pairs the cozy flute with mature piano for the gentle album highlight thanks to Lili Boulander’s vision, while “Cendres”, by Kaija Saariaho, welcomes Collins’ cello for the rumbling and cinematic qualities that are mysterious and atypical.
The last piece, Shulamit Ran’s “Birds Of Paradise”, maintains a distinct personality, where the flute can mimic bird noises amid the dizzying key acrobatics.
Frisof and Pesca certainly do justice to these pieces and illuminate the visions of often overlooked composers, and it makes for an expressive and enlightening journey.
Travels well with: Mari Kawamura- Ma: Space Between; Icarus Quartet- Big Things