Despite its dreamy title and cover, Nordic Spell is actually solid and substantial, and the modern flute concertos on this 2005 release from BIS are, for the most part, far from fluff. The highly gifted flutist and prolific recording artist
Sharon Bezaly is the recipient of many new works, and this CD presents pieces by Kalevi Aho, Haukur Tómasson, and
Christian Lindberg, who specifically tailored their concertos to showcase her talents. Most ambitious of the three selections is Aho's Concerto for flute and orchestra (2002), which eschews virtuosity for its own sake and pursues a more symphonic approach.
Bezaly still has opportunities for display, particularly in the second movement's darting cadenza, but Aho's material is integrated throughout, and the flute part is tightly woven with the orchestra's dramatically argued music. Tómasson's shorter but denser Flute Concerto No. 2 is more conventional in its layout, though interesting for its mingling of the flute part with small groups of soloists in concertino style. The World of Montuagretta (2001-2002) is the weakest offering, and its eclectic material is insufficiently interesting to justify
Lindberg's magpie approach to composition.
Bezaly is accurate and attractive in all the performances, and the
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the
Swedish Chamber Orchestra are all in fine form in these clear recordings.