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Synergy / Sharon Bezaly, Swedish Chamber Orchestra
BIS

Synergy / Sharon Bezaly, Swedish Chamber Orchestra

$10.99
$21.99 Save 50%

Details

Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Doppler, Camille Saint-Saens, Georg Philipp Telemann, Heitor Villa-Lobo
Artist
Sharon Bezaly, Michala Petri, Urban Svensson, Michael Collins, Walter Aue
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Sep 02, 2022
Catalog #
BIS-2339
UPC
7318599923390

About

On Synergy, flautist Sharon Bezaly and her musician friends demonstrate that one plus one can be much greater than two. Featuring works that celebrate the coming together of like-minded musicians, this project is a reminder, after more than two years of a pandemic that has affected all of us, that true musical synergy can only be achieved 'face-to-face’, rather than ‘remotely’. With his Concerto for flute and recorder, Telemann not only creates a fusion of different musical styles of his time – namely Italian, German and French – but also shows a gift for borrowing elements from popular music. Saint-Saëns brings swirling colors and energy with a Tarentelle for flute, clarinet and orchestra, that at times displays obsessive, even threatening undertones. From the same period, Doppler’s Concerto for two flutes is not far from the world of opera, providing the two soloists with ample opportunity to shine like two singers in front of an orchestra. In addition to celebrating the synergy created between musicians, the last two works featured on this disc, Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6 and Suite from the Orchestral Works, are telling examples of synergy between composers: it is as if Villa-Lobos and Mahler were shaking hands with Johann Sebastian Bach across distances of thousands of miles and hundreds of years.

REVIEW:

The principal attraction of this SACD, as good as the performances are, is the uniqueness of the program. Sharon Bezaly, one of the outstanding flutists of our time, has brought together composers not particularly associated with each other, and from different eras. While each performance is enjoyable, the real success of the disc is how the imaginative program flows in such a lovely way.

On Telemann’s Concerto in E Minor for Recorder, Flute, and Strings with harpsichord continuo. Bezaly is joined by one of the world’s premier recordists, Michala Petri, and their interplay is delightful. The final Presto is particularly inventive and sparkling in the way the two soloists play off each other.

Michael Collins and Bezaly play Saint-Saëns’s Tarantelle with total communication, lingering lightly over lyrical passages while clearly enjoying their virtuoso moments as well.

The big surprise for me was the Concerto in D Minor for Two Flutes by the flute virtuoso and composer Franz Doppler (1821–1883). The music is almost vocal in its melodic shape, but the remarkable aspect of the score, surprisingly, are the passages where the two flutes must play in unison. Bezaly and Walter Auer come close to making us believe that they are a single flute.

Next comes the one work without orchestra, Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No. 6, scored for flute and bassoon. Bram van Sambeek is a brilliant technician, but more importantly he produces a rich sound from his bassoon and provides harmonic support for Bezaly’s flute.

Her combination of rich tone and rhythmic precision is just right for The Mahler-orchestrated selections from the Second and Third Orchestral Suites. While no one would mistake this for an historically informed performance, it is an extremely stylish one. Michael Collins and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra bring elegance to the Air and energy to the Gavotte from the Third Suite. As an encore Bezaly give us a repeat of the Badinerie from the Second Suite.

BIS’s usual high standards of engineering and informative program notes round out a truly lovely disc.

-- Fanfare (Henry Fogel)

Tracklist 15 tracks

  1. 1 I. Largo 04:10
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Largo
    Duration
    04:10
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Michala Petri, Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Urban Svensson
  2. 2 II. Allegro 04:09
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    04:09
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Michala Petri, Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Urban Svensson
  3. 3 III. Largo 03:45
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Largo
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Michala Petri, Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Urban Svensson
  4. 4 IV. Presto 02:43
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Presto
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Michala Petri, Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Urban Svensson
  5. 5 Tarantelle in A Minor, Op. 6 06:22
    Track
    5
    Title
    Tarantelle in A Minor, Op. 6
    Duration
    06:22
    Composer
    Camille Saint-Saëns
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly, Michael Collins
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Michael Collins
  6. 6 I. Allegro maestoso 07:41
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Allegro maestoso
    Duration
    07:41
    Composer
    Franz Doppler
    Performer
    Walter Auer, Sharon Bezaly
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  7. 7 II. Andante 03:32
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    03:32
    Composer
    Franz Doppler
    Performer
    Walter Auer, Sharon Bezaly
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  8. 8 III. Allegro 06:05
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    06:05
    Composer
    Franz Doppler
    Performer
    Walter Auer, Sharon Bezaly
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  9. 9 I. Ária (Chôro): Largo 03:56
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Ária (Chôro): Largo
    Duration
    03:56
    Composer
    Heitor Villa-Lobos
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly, Bram van Sambeek
  10. 10 II. Fantasia: Allegro 04:51
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Fantasia: Allegro
    Duration
    04:51
    Composer
    Heitor Villa-Lobos
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly, Bram van Sambeek
  11. 11 I. Ouverture (from BWV 1067) 06:18
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Ouverture (from BWV 1067)
    Duration
    06:18
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  12. 12 II. Rondeau - Badinerie - Rondeau (from BWV 1067) 03:44
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Rondeau - Badinerie - Rondeau (from BWV 1067)
    Duration
    03:44
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly, Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  13. 13 III. Air (from BWV 1068) 04:26
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Air (from BWV 1068)
    Duration
    04:26
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  14. 14 IV. Gavotte I-II (from BWV 1068) 03:35
    Track
    14
    Title
    IV. Gavotte I-II (from BWV 1068)
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Björn Gäfvert
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Thomas Dausgaard
  15. 15 Suite aus den Orchesterwerken (after J.S. Bach): II. Badinerie (from BWV 1067) 01:19
    Track
    15
    Title
    Suite aus den Orchesterwerken (after J.S. Bach): II. Badinerie (from BWV 1067)
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Sharon Bezaly
    Ensemble
    Svenska Kammarorkestern
    Conductor
    Michael Collins