As its subtitle reveals, this 2007 disc called Rever en Couleurs is a compilation of French music for flute and piano. More specifically, it is a compilation of late nineteenth and early twentieth century French music for flute and piano. The composers range from the exceedingly well-known Bizet, Fauré, and Saint-Saëns to the hardly known outside of French flute circles Gaubert, Godard, Huë, Donjon, and Taffanel. While the music has a variety of moods, from the joyous to the melancholy and the sensuous to the sublime, it is all consistently light and uniformly lovely. And as played the American team of flutist Lisa Garner Santa and pianist Gabriel Sanchez, it is also all very, very beautiful. Garner Santa has a dulcet tone, agile technique, and a soulful disposition, qualities that serve this virtuosic but never overly demonstrative music, while Sanchez is a sensitive accompanist who seems wholly dedicated to supporting and not upstaging Garner Santa. For flute fans, this disc will be a must-have, especially in MSR Classics' lush sound. And for non-flute fans, it will still be a pleasant way to while away an hour or so.
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