Jonathan Myers

Musicianship 2 Schneider
Fall 2019
Concert Report 1

On September 26, 2019, Charlotte Betry performed five compositions on flute alongside
Bryan Pezzone on piano, Hugo Nogueira on guitar, Armand Assaiante on flute and piccolo, and Mary
Cervantes on flute. This was primarily a classical concert, although Histoire du Tango pour Flûte et
Guitar, II. Café 1930 by Astor Piazzolla and “Not the Boring Stuff” by Mike Mower were deviations
from the theme established by the first piece, Three Preludes, op. 18 for unaccompanied flute by
Robert Muczynski. Throughout the concert, there was a sense of light-heartedness which one might
attribute to the flute’s natural timbre, Betry’s agility and adept handling of the instrument, or to the
compositions themselves; I believe that it was a combination of these three elements that brought
the music to life in the Performing Arts Building.
The first piece’s three preludes were meant to be joyful, somber, and energetic, respectively,
and each effectively conveyed its appropriate mood. The singular tone of the flute was especially
prevalent here, as it was the only unaccompanied piece of music in the program. However, the
second piece, Sonata No.1 for Flute and Piano by Eric Ewazen was especially good. Bryan Pezzone
accompanied Charlotte on this sea-faring composition, which included virtuosic flute passages,
modal melodies, and the three-against-two polyrhythm of 6/8 meter that often conjures up oceanic
images. Its final movement, III. Allegro giocoso, felt like watching pirates at sea shout shanties while
the waves wash vigorously against their ship’s hull.
Being previously partial to all these euphonious elements, I am, of course, biased towards
this composition above the others. However, what set this piece above the rest for me was the
interplay between the two musicians. It was as if they were switching off places behind the
captain’s wheel, sailing a gilded craft calmly, sometimes through stormier seas—such as during II.
Andante teneramente. Following the jubilant jig of III. Allegro giocoso was Histoire du Tango pour
Flûte et Guitar, II. Café 1930. This composition was more laid-back than the others, and Betry’s brief
description of the atmosphere before the performance was a great visual and experiential aid,
closing her remarks by asking the crowd to imagine “sipping on an espresso in the Café 1930 as you
sit back and listen.”
Another enchanting performance emerged later in the concert during a flute trio, Tableaux
F𝑒́ 𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠, Op. 40 pour Trio de Flûtes by Dimitri Tchesnokov. Unlike the other compositions, where
Charlotte played the leading melody part for the majority of the time, this composition featured
each flautist in equal parts. The three presented movements are titled II. La danse des elfes, III. La
forêt de Pan, and IV. La danse des fées. Each of these movements beared similarities to one another
in terms of thematic elements, but differed slightly in mood, rhythmic and melodic motifs, and the
 Jonathan Myers
Musicianship 2 Schneider
Fall 2019
role which each flute part fulfilled. It was a walk through a forest, witnessing the elves first, then
Pan and his satyrs, and, finally, the fairies. It was interesting to note the different rhythms and
qualities which the composer associated with each species. For example, the elves, II., and fairies,
IV., shared many of the same rhythmic feelings and had similar instrument roles between their
respective movements, but the melodic elements differed, with the elves’ melodies being more
grounded and dance-like, and the fairies’ melodies being more ethereal and airier. It was
unfortunate that one of the soloists lost his place at one point during this composition and made a
distracting grimace which briefly took me out of the captivating consonances.
The final piece, “Not the Boring Stuff” by Mike Mower seemed to be more of a throwaway
piece, included specifically to add variety to an otherwise classically-oriented concert and to make
it perhaps more bearable to the average listener. It seemed that this piece received much less effort
from the performers, perhaps due to its comparative simplicity, and maintained too much of the
classical attitude in interpretation—especially with the eighth note rhythms, which one expects to
hear slightly swung. That being said, straight eighths made “Not the Boring Stuff” sound rather
Latin, so it tied in better with the earlier performance of II. Café 1930.
All in all, this recital was superbly enjoyable. It was cut short due to time, so one of the
pieces in the program was omitted (Sonata Opus 15 for Flute and Piano by Jules Mouquet), but the
concert was packed with wonderful music nonetheless. It is unfortunate that the closing piece came
off as such an anti-climax, especially after such grand performing as in Sonata No. 1 for Flute and
Piano, but every observation such as this can be learned from—both as an example to imitate, or as
an experience to avoid.