Syrinx: With Bridget Douglas and Rachel Thomson

By WILLIAM DART

I was fortunate to hear selections from Bridget Douglas and Rachel Thomson's new CD in concert last year and, for a brief hour, I was transported to an Arcadian glade of yore. Now the cause of my enchantment has been caught on disc, the trip is available whenever I choose.

This collection of French music for flute and piano is a winning concept, its title taken from the nymph Syrinx who, if we look through contemporary eyes, was an early victim of sexual harassment. Douglas remembers her rather wistfully in Debussy's solo Syrinx, while the two women join forces for a punchier tribute in Jacques Charpentier's Pour Syrinx.

Debussy opens the set with Karl Lenski's arrangements of Chansons de Bilitis stealing easily upon the ear. Swooning chromatics suggest a faun may well be grazing behind that tree to the left while the clustering piano dissonances in the final piece throw Douglas' oboe-like sonorities into effective relief. The other two substantial pieces are Jules Mouquet's Sonata, La Flute de Pan, and Roussel's Joueurs de Flute.

The eclectic Mouquet, in three movements, shows us the predatory Pan frolicking with shepherds, birds and nymphs. Roussel is more focused and his vision of Pan has a feline charm to it, with hints of a sultry tango to be danced, revealing the duo at its most mutually sympathetic.

The salon style of Divertissement Grec by Philippe Gaubert is not so far removed from what Madame Chaminade might have created on the same theme, and the two women revel in its graceful swaying lines. Ravel's Menuet Antique toys playfully with the same genre, but Gustave Samazeuilh's arrangement is no substitute for Ravel's full orchestration.

In the final count, it is the affection shown for the music that makes this album work so well.

Wellington's Ilott Concert Chamber is a favoured recording venue and Roger Smith's production allows for a fine range of dynamics, although at times Douglas' breathing is obtrusive.

As is usual with Trust releases, a New Zealand artist is celebrated, although a painting from Louise Henderson's Bush series comes across better than Jane Zusters' Orphean Desiderata which makes for an overly busy cover image.

Label: Trust Records MMT 2039