Australians Lina Andonovska (flute) and Alex Raineri (piano) are renowned locally and internationally for their excellent technique and commitment to supporting and commissioning new music. Their new collaboration Parallel Play consists of five works for flute and piano – four by living composers – and takes its name from the short opening work by Sarah Kirkland Snider (b. 1973). Written as a commissioned response to motherhood, it is characterised by a restless flute tugging at a grounded piano foundation.
It precedes Andonovska’s adaptation of flautist Emmanuel Pahud’s arrangement of Richard Strauss’s Violin Sonata (Op. 18) from 1888. The soaring, lyrical solo part is well-adapted to the breathy, expressive qualities of the flute, producing a compelling reading of this dreamy, passionate work.
All You Can Do is Hang on For Dear Life by Judith Ring (b. 1976) is a compact excursion through a series of different timbral intensities, a lurching and at times terrifying rollercoaster ride that also functions as a metaphor for life in the present world. This is followed by Discrete Structures, a set of ten interconnected miniatures by Marc Mellits (b. 1966) in which thematic material is shared, creating interconnections and an internal sound world of contrasting but intimately crafted vignettes.
Falling Ever Deeper by Paul Dean (b. 1966) is a turbulent, dark, but finally affirming work taking the listener on a journey that confronts emotional crisis head on. The interplay between Andonovska and Raineri is unwaveringly assured throughout, and their attention to nuance is complemented by a spacious, clear recording from Hellfire Studio in Dublin. This is a fine program of recent works that extend the possibilities of flute repertoire while remaining very accessible.
Title: Parallel Play
Works: Music by Snider, Strauss, Ring, Mellits and Paul Dean
Performers: Lina Andonovska fl, Alex Raineri p
Label: Navona NV6759
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