Flute, piano, perfect combo

By Wes Woods, On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 11, 1998

Cookies and milk, peanut butter and jelly, and rhythm and blues are all classic combinations. However, one may add another: flute and piano.

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CONCERT REVIEW

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Flutist John Barcellona, woodwind coordinator and professor of flute at Cal State Long Beach, performed a dazzling show for more than 160 people at the Daniel Recital Hall Saturday night. However, he could not have done it without Paul Da Silva, CSULB accompanist and pianist.

Sure, there was a flute solo of "Precious Metals," composed by Dean Drummond, which was very fine in its own right. Barcellona puffed and played with precision, changing from a throaty and dense melody to a high-pitched scream, then suddenly stopping.

However, the duo's performance of "Spring Serenade," composed by Peter Schickele, was well worth the price of admission.

Before the duet began, the black suit and gold bowtie-wearing Barcellona needed to excuse himself.

"I forgot something," Barcellona said aloud to Da Silva. "If they [the audience] get a little restless, go ahead and start without me."

After returning, Barcellona and Da Silva proceeded to accelerate the hectic arrangement with lightning speed and gently bring it back to a crawl as smoothly as a Ferrari Testarosa shifting its gears on the Autobahn.

Both flutist and pianist moved their fingers furiously to accommodate the sonorous groove of the composition, pausing only for Barcellona to wipe his silver flute.

The duo's other three compositions were also excellently executed - especially the much-too-long "Seven Songs, op. 55," composed by Louis Moyse.

"Seven Songs," incorporates seven distinct musical movements representing seven different trees. It also includes a poem written by Moyse read before each movement. The presentation was a nice idea that should have been shortened or performed earlier in the program. The piece was too much for one to comprehend. The visuals of black and white drawings of trees (which Moyse drew) being superimposed into a color photograph did little to enlighten the listener. Arrangement of the movement was painstakingly played with a mellow, dark tinged piano providing a backdrop for Barcellona to let his flute shimmy and ride over the top. For each "tree," the music slightly changed, adding a unique touch.