On June14th, the Azica record label released a fabulous new recording that features the renowned flute player Eugenia Moliner.
Called Song to The Moon, this CD celebrates the art of the German Lied and art song in general. Songs by Mahler, Schubert, Nikolai Medtner, and music inspired by Dvorak are performed, with the vocal lines being given to the flute, in either their original form, or in a slightly varied form. The result is a beautiful CD that displays Moliner’s gorgeous sound, diverse tonal color palette on flute as well as giving the listener a new perspective on these sublime melodies.
For those unfamiliar with Eugenia Moliner, she has been described as a luminary in the realm of flute, and an artist of the highest caliber. She has performed all over the world both as a soloist and as part of the Cavatina Duo which consists of flute and guitar. Moliner has performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Monterey Symphony, Sarajevo Philharmonic. She has also performed on stage with principal players from the Chicago Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony and is currently on faculty at The University of Illinois Chicago where she teaches applied flute.
This is a project that is very personal and very close to Moliner’s heart. She describes the CD as “a profound exploration of the evocative powers of music as a vessel for catharsis and healing.” While she was practicing and recording this music she was thinking about the loss of her brother Pedro. As she says in the booklet, “Through playing this music feel I grieve and release the pain of Pedro’s loss.”
These emotions make their way into her interpretations of these songs and can be easily heard and understood by the listener.
The Song to the Moon aria from Dvorak's opera Rusalka, served as the seed and the impetuous to the project getting off the ground. Moliner’s good friend and patron Tom Baron was listening to this beautiful aria and was remarking that the melody from would work well in an arrangement for Moliner and her husband and duo partner, guitarist Denis Azabagic. Moliner, intrigued by the possibility, approached another one of her good friends, the composer Alan Thomas, about the possibility of him writing such a piece. As she explains, “The idea to do a theme and variations was mine. I told Tom ‘Let’s think about this like Schubert’s Trokne Blumen Variations.’ An introduction, a theme, development, and then a set of variations. Alan did a wonderful job of it, and I hope that flutists will like the piece, and it will become a staple in the repertoire.”
The work is a sheer delight, in its expressiveness, virtuosity and lyricism.
Once the Song to the Moon Variations were being written, Moliner did some research and found songs arranged for flute that could be recorded to round out a recording project.
One of the cycles she included on the disc is a set of five songs for voice and orchestra by Mahler that have been reworked for just flute and piano. The composer Ronald Kornfeil has arranged selections from Mahler’s song cycles for the two instruments, effectively creating a wonderful dialogue between the two instruments. These arrangements were edited by the renowned flute player Emmanuel Pahud, but Moliner was shocked to discover that he had not recorded them. “I was looking to see if there were any recordings of these pieces, and I couldn't find any, so I believe my recording is the first,” says Moliner.
Also on the disc is a set of six songs by Schubert arranged by the 19th century flute virtuoso and composer Theobold Boehm. His arrangements are lush and melodious and stay pretty true to the Schubert's original material. There are small development sections and tiny modifications in a couple of the songs, but overall Boehm allows the flute player to just sing using Schubert’s excellent source material.
Coming full circle, Eugenia Moliner and composer Alan Thomas collaborated on a piece that is sure to become a favorite amongst flute players. The Russian composer Nikolai Medtner wrote a set of eight Poems for voice. From that cycle, Moliner and Thomas have created an arrangement of the song Twilight from the set. The result is a lush, colorful, and expressive reinterpretation that demonstrates Medtner’s wonderful gift of melodic lyricism.
Throughout the recording Song to Moon, Moliner sings beautifully through her flute, and successfully manages to change her sound so that the tone colors reflect the emotions being expressed in music. Her pianist Beilin Han acts as a perfect partner to Moliner. Han never acts as simple accompaniment, there is always conversation happening between the duo partners, and the interplay between the two instruments is entirely captivating and engaging.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this disc offers the listener an opportunity to sit back, relax and hear Moliner’s gorgeous Song to the Moon.