Obstinato & Scareso - review by Pan Magazine

Mike Mower Obstinato & Scareso: Suite for solo flute (on bass & alto flutes) and flute choir. Itchy Fingers Publications IFP045 This piece shows that the flute choir is very much alive and kicking. Long gone are the days when flute choir was the thing you played in while you waited to get a place in the school orchestra; with repertoire like this the flute choir is now an arena for highly polished ensemble playing, sensitivity and awareness between players and technical skill. The Obstinato is for solo bass flute with the group (3 flutes, one doubling on piccolo, alto and bass). It has rhythmic drive and the jazz-influenced language is instantly likable. The Scareso begins with a fast Bach-like solo alto flute line, which is fused with Mower's characteristic style to create something unique. The solo part requires a good deal of skill. In alto and bass flute terms, this is real virtuoso writing, but everything works as it should. The accompaniment parts are all interesting to play and full of energy. Although this has a single solo part, all the parts are indispensable and soloistic in their own right. This is a fantastic addition to the flute choir repertoire, and I hope one that will receive many performances in the next few years. Carla Rees, Pan Magazine 2007 (magazine of the British Flute Society)

Date - 09/03/2007