Sonata No. 1 pour Flute et Piano.

by Elisenda Fabregas. Alphonse Leduc (Editions Musicales, 175 rue Saint-Honore, 75040 Paris Cedex 01), 2001. 43pp. $42.95.

A stunning new work for flute and piano, this sonata is an exciting addition to the contemporary repertoire. Although published in France and first performed in China, the work was composed in the United States. Tallon Perkes, principal flutist of the San Antonio (Texas) Symphony, commissioned the sonata and performed it at the 1996 convention of the National Flute Association. The composer, Spanish-born Elisenda Fabregas, is a member of the piano faculty at the University of Texas in San Antonio and is MTNA's Distinguished Composer of the Year, 2000.

This is a major work of four movements and fifteen minutes' duration, requiring careful study and precise coordination between flute and piano. The first movement, Allegro, features rapid, energetic tonguing on the flute, punctuated by slightly acidic harmonies from the piano. A haunting, rather mournful melody, characterized by descending minor second intervals, glides through the second movement (Largo). The playful Scherzo, the third movement, is like a rhythmic game of tag dancing between piano and flute. And the finale, Allegro molto con brio, is an athletic "tour de force" for both flutist and pianist. Rapid triplets permeate the movement, ending the work with a flourish.

Although difficult, the music is written idiomatically for both instruments--the flute part is "flutistic" and the piano part "pianistic." Dissonant harmonies prevail, but no extended techniques are required. The composer has a marvelous sense of progression and development, providing each of the four movements with a pleasing architectural structure and shape.

Martha Rearick, Tampa, Florida.