Sharon Bezaly - From A to Z, Vol. 2 (2003) Hi-Res

Sharon Bezaly’s second volume of solo flute works (covering B and C in her monumental alphabetic survey) is less a recital than it is a decathlon. Short of sticking dynamite into her flute or hurling it across the studio, she fires off every technical trick in the flutist’s arsenal–flutter-tonguing, swooping glissandos, microtonal warps, harmonic double-stops, and percussive key slaps. All the more amazing is the ease with which she pulls off these effects, effortlessly combining them with a marvelous technique, spinning tone, subtle double-tonguing, and remarkable breath control. As with her first A-to-Z disc, Bezaly’s all alone here, blessed with a warm acoustic venue that aids her lower register and creates a nice bloom around her limpid sound.

Her choices are, almost by definition, eclectic and fresh, interspersed with trifling palette-cleansers by Boismortier and Call. With all the fireworks, it bears mentioning that there is some wonderful music here. For instance, both Sven-Erik Bäck and Yehezkhel Braun write lyrically and rhapsodically in their respective sonatas, bringing out the best in the flute’s middle register, even if the third movements of each tilt toward technical brilliance. These works lie in contrast to Fulvio Caldini’s minimalist work, a non-stop ping-pong of notes whose metronomic relentlessness makes you wonder where the soloist might take a breath. In yet another shift of style, we hear Daniel Börtz’s Tinted Drawings, a work dedicated to Bezaly that concerns itself more with tone-coloring, rapid trilling, and flying scales to make its expressive point. Elliott Carter’s wistful allegorical paean to breathing seems tailor-made for the flute as it alternates between drifting languor and spiky piercing outbursts.

Easily the most disturbing piece on offer is Gloria Coates’ Reaching for the Moon. Its four-minutes of lunar lunacy transforms the flute into something nearly unrecognizable and relies on the performer to not only sing into the flute but also to produce several other unholy sounds that test embouchure skills to their limits. We can only assume that there are as many instructions as there are notes in the score. Listeners can draw their own conclusions about the quality of the music, but this disc is surely another triumph for this gifted flutist, who seemingly can (and will) play anything put in front of her.