Subdued and sweet in tone,
Susan Hoeppner's 2003 album Serenade consists mostly of gentle, meditative works for flute and chamber orchestra; the majority of these are extremely familiar classics, often found on greatest-hits compilations. The only breaks from the placid mood come in the lively arrangement of
Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,
Ravel's seductive Pièce en forme de Habanera, and the faster movements of Ernest Bloch's Suite Modale and the Suite Paysanne Hongroise, Paul Arma's arrangement of the Hungarian Peasant Songs by
Béla Bartók. Otherwise, the program is dominated by peaceful or poignant fare, such as Fauré's Pavane and En prière, Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits,
Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, and
Rachmaninov's ubiquitous Vocalise, lavishly arranged for flute and orchestra by Kyril Magg. The Canadian Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Chosel Komatsu, is rich and resonant in its timbres, and quite luxuriant as a backdrop for
Hoeppner's fluid and lovely lines. Yet the tendency toward prettiness does not allow for much contrast, and
Hoeppner's brilliance as a virtuoso flutist is well concealed behind veils of Romantic melancholy. Because of close miking and the generally boosted remix of the 1996 recordings, the sound is fairly loud and requires some adjustment.