Elena Duran at the Auckland University School of Music

By TARA WERNER

Now based in Mexico, and having been granted Mexican citizenship, it is obvious that Elena Duran has a real affection for that country.

The music for this short concert was dominated by a host of ballads from the region, composed or arranged for flute and piano.

But given the enormous range of repertoire for such a combination, and the calibre of the flutist, the programme felt like an opportunity lost.

It would have been good to hear Duran play the Delius and Bach she has recorded, rather than pieces from her most recent CD.

Such ballads may have been both nostalgic and tuneful, but did not really have enough depth to sustain interest, however sincerely performed.

The concert opened with a glimpse of what could have been - a mellow Sonatina by Dvorak.

The rapport between pianist Rosemary Barnes and Duran was clear from the opening notes, and both seemed to enjoy the music's autumnal flavour and its echoes of Dvorak's famous New World Symphony.

The sprightly opening allegro was particularly well coordinated, and the dance-like finale also bounced along in almost reckless fashion.

Meantime, an arch-romantic Serenade by Arthur Woodhall, and a highly extrovert Hungarian Fantasy by Franz Albert Doppler, gave little cause for concern since the duo performed both works with aplomb.

Then into the Mexican section. Some of the pieces seemed rather mawkish, others just a technical filigree for flute.

Nonetheless, there were a few gems, the opening Nostalgia by Jose Sabre Marroquin among them. Here, Duran's lower register was unwavering and the very high notes at the end were also accurate.

A bitter-sweet little waltz by Enrique Mora also had its moments by communicating a sense of longing.

Manuel Maria Ponce's Pajarito may have been an evocative attempt to introduce some Mexican birdlife into the proceedings but, on the whole, the rest of the music was of limited appeal.