The combination of the flute and the piano is quite curious, so stark are the differences between the two instruments. The ancestral nature of the flute contrasts with the technical sophistication and grandeur of the piano. Its apparent fragility unfolds into lyricism, apparent virtuosity and even gloomy registers. He invites the piano to transfigure itself, in a range that extends from diffuse intimacy to symphonic apparatus. This combination has enchanted many composers. The Metropolitana Soloists bring together five in this program: two Portuguese, two Brazilians born in Porto Alegre and a Frenchman who lived in Rio de Janeiro for almost two years.

They start with the latter, with a Sonatina premiered at the Champs-Elysées Theater in 1922, after Darius Milhaud had returned from Brazil. In three movements, the flute subtly wanders through a mosaic of apparently scattered melodies. They then jump to 1986, to Fernando Lopes Graça’s 80th birthday, the occasion of the premiere of Andante e allegro, in Estoril. This is one of several compositions that the musician from Tomar dedicated to the flute, all of them after April 25. Brenno Blauth’s Sonata for Flute and Piano doesn’t hide its origins, with explicit allusions to Samba, Choro and Modinha. With José Vianna da Motta, they recall the romantic lyrical affectation of the late 19th century. Finally, Radamés Gnattali, an extraordinary orchestrator with a special predilection for the flute. In the last movement of the Sonatina he composed in 1974, he paid homage to the master Pixinguinha, who had died the previous year.

Sonatas and Sonatinas / Portugal-Brazil
Metropolitana Soloists

Darius Milhaud Sonatina for Flute and Piano
Fernando Lopes Graça Andante and Allegro
Brenno Blauth Sonata for Flute and Piano
José Vianna da Motta Romance for Flute and Piano
Radamés Gnattali Sonatina for Flute and Piano

Nuno Inácio flute, Savka Konjikusic piano