Beth Chandler - Time Place Spirit - Music for Flute and Piano (2019)

This collection of works for flute and piano is especially meaningful to me. First, there is a connection to nature with most of the works (all, depending on how you look at it). To me nature is a place of wonder, solace, refuge, and adventure. Beyond this connection, all of these works are evocative of a particular time or place, all with different spiritual undertones. The first piece on this album, by Fikret Amirov, is a charmingly unique work based on folk melodies from Azerbaijan. The second work, the Chaminade, is a beautiful little gem, a transcription by Trevor Wye of a lyrically dramatic piece originally for piano. The Karg-Elert is a bit better known within the flute canon, but is a rather unusual and colorful work, each movement having a programmatic, nostalgic, or spiritual influence. The cornerstone of the program, Kenneth Frazelle’s Blue Ridge Airs II, is a truly epic work. I first heard Paula Robison perform this piece shortly after its completion. Soon after and coincidentally, I moved to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, within view of the Blue Ridge. I was inspired by the power of Frazelle’s piece and how profoundly it reflects the beauty of the mountains and also of the inherent culture here. It is a special work by a very gifted artist. In addition to Kenneth Frazelle’s compositional talents, he is also an accomplished watercolorist. I am very grateful for his artistic contributions and his graciousness in allowing me to feature his artwork on the cover of this album.