Spotlight on unusual solo instruments

Claire Jackson is mightily impressed by Bezaly's mastery of the rare alto flute

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Kalevi Aho

Moonlight Concerto*; Concerto for Alto Flute & Strings**

*Hiyoli Togawa (viola); *Alexej Gerassimez (percussion); *Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Anja Bihlmaier; **Sharon Bezaly (flute); **St Michel Strings/Erkki Lasonpalo BIS BIS-2626 56:20 mins When, sometime in the last century, Ijoined an amateur flute choir, proximity to the extended instrument family was the main attraction. Alongside the standard 'C' model there exists the piccolo, of course, but also the lesserspotted treble, an alto and various bass flutes. Initial excitement turned to dread as we took it in turns to play the larger iterations: requiring headache-inducing airflow and superhuman endurance, the lower flutes are very difficult to project.

Such personal preamble is intended to enhance praise of Sharon Bezaly, the soloist in Kalevi Aho's 2021 alto flute concerto (originally composed for Romanian flautist Matei Ioachimescu). Aho sensibly scores the work for strings, rather than full orchestra, yet there are multiple moments where Bezaly is required to weave in and out of the ensemble – and never once falls from focus. The six movements shift from strange (Misterioso) to dramatic (Furioso); there are no breaks, instead space is provided by an eldritch interlude and a shivering epilogue. Bezaly is most impressive in the Allegro, swapping to a bass flute to fleck musical spittle onto a pavement of harmonics (the St Michel Strings on eerie form).

The unsettling ambiguity continues in Aho’s ‘Moonlight’ Concerto (2020) for viola and percussion, here performed by Hiyoli Togawa and Alexej Gerassimez. Ostensibly the music runs in one breath, broken up by a yearning cadenza. Aho's emphasis is on timbre, and the juxtaposition of sparse lyricism and pizzicato-like percussion is consistently beautifully crafted. ★★★★★