Alexa Still on flute

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 8

Alexa Still on flute

Alexa Still (flute) in the Amuri Corporation lunchtime recital series, presented by the Arts Centre of Christchurch at the Great Hall. December 16, 1.10 p.m. Reviewed by Gerald Ginther.

To sustain a solo flute recital for 50 minutes and manage to maintain constant audience interest is a formidable task for a performer. The flute does not possess a great contrast of dynamics nor can it easily produce the variety of timbre that other instruments can manage. Alexa Still, who is principal flute in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, captivated her audience with an endless number of subtle variations of tone colour, neutralising the potential of flute timbre to pall. Debussy’s “Syrinx” was notable for the contrast in colour brought to each section— a cool, limpid beginning, an impassioned middle section concluding with a hint of tragedy with eerie, hollow low notes.

Paganini’s “Caprice No. 24” was designed as a virtuoso showpiece for violin and therefore much of its writing is unidiomatic and extremely difficult for

the flute. Again the flautist brought a different quality to each variation including a superbly executed imitation of violin double stopping, which to work requires extreme flexibility over the registers. Similarly the Joachim Andersen Etude was brought to life with a glittering, colourful rendition.

Hindemith’s "Acht Stucke” brought a more introverted neo-classical note to proceedings and perhaps much of Hindemith is more interesting for the player than for the audience.

Although there was much intricate detail and subtle shading in Bozza’s “Image” the piece itself is not musically satisfying and deserves to remain obscure.

Unfortunately Ms Still’s interpretation of the opening Bach “Partita in A minor” was exceedingly wilful with note values severely pulled around, distorting the melodic and rhythmic shape and rendering it more like a cadenza than one of Bach’s great works. Fortunately Telemann's “Fantasie No. 1 in A major” did not suffer from the same treatment and indeed the performance was remarkable for the coherency of its structure. s?-. Y