Muse Mentors Karen Kevra

Fredrich Kuhlau (1786–1832) was a Danish composer of the late Classical and early Romantic periods who wrote prodigiously for the flute.  The final movement of his Fantasie for Solo Flute in D major, "Arietta and Variations" is charming,  virtuosic, and fun! The aria "Bati, Bati"  from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni is the theme. The operatic spirit shines in this 4 minute long gem.

Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12, performed by Karen Kevra, flute

Georg Friedrich Händel, Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430:  IV. Air con Variazioni "The Harmonious Blacksmith" performed by Murray Perahia, piano 
Franz Schubert's Theme, from the Introduction, Theme, and Variations on "Trockne Blumen", D. 802 performed by Karen Kevra, flute and Jeffrey Chappell, piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Overture from Don Giovanni, K. 527, Hans Vonk, Staatskapelle Dresden
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Aria: "Batti, batti, o bel Masetto", Cecelia Bartoli, soprano, Wiener Kammerorchester  

Friedrich Kuhlau, Fantasie for Solo Flute in D major (Op. 38, No. 1),  movement 3, "Arietta and Variations", performed by Karen Kevra, flute


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Composer Katherine Hoover's Winter Spirits is a musical tribute to the American Desert Southwest. This 5 minute piece was inspired by Marie Buchfink's artwork picturing a cross-legged native American flute player: A colorful cloud of tiny beneficent spirits rises from the flute into a cloud. Elements of dance, chant, and drumming combine to create a mystical, magical soundscape. 

Katherine Hoover, Kokopeli
Katherine Hoover, Winter Spirits
performed by Karen Kevra, flute
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In this encore episode from Christmas eve 2020, we celebrate the life and legacy of Tony Barrand who died on January 29, 2022. Tony Barrand was born in England in 1945 but has lived most of his life in southern Vermont in the vibrant town of Brattleboro—a place that shines all the more brightly because of him. This Cornell PHD and Professor Emeritus of Boston University is not just an academic, but also a singer, dancer, and story-teller. What first grabs you is his way with words—he can give them weight, or make them sparkle depending on the point he is trying to make, but he uses words to greatest effect when he sings. His handsome  tenor voice really shines when joined by his singing comrades (John Roberts, Fred Breunig and Andy Davis) from the band Nowell Sing We Clear. This is top-notch exuberant music-making in a traditional style that will have you singing along, dancing, and entranced by the magic of the story-telling.  Guaranteed to brighten your days during this darkest time of year.

Special thanks to:
Andy Davis, Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy, Amanda Witman, Peter Amidon, Sue Dupre, Kari Smith, Carole Crompton, and Rachel Bell

Music, courtesy Golden Hind Music
Click here to order  Nowell Sing We Clear: Songs & Carols for Midwinter & Christmastide

Photo: BU Photography


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Pianist Jeffrey Chappell reflects on his life and his formative mentorships first with pianist Jane Allen, and later with the legendary Leon Fleisher.  In this encore episode, Jeffrey reveals his early childhood genesis story with the piano; his studies at the Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory, and path that led him to an astounding last minute substitution for Claudio Arrau with the Baltimore Symphony. He addresses overcoming challenges and adversity and speaks about his lifelong meditation practice and his book Answers from Silence. 





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Edgard Varèse is one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century and was called  "The stratospheric Colossus of Sound."  He lived life with intensity and composed the same way.  Varèse lived most of his composing life in New York City and  made music out of the  compelling cacophony of NYC street noises: sirens,  firetrucks, river sounds, foghorns, and even skyscraper construction.
Density 21.5 was composed in 1936 (and revised in 194) at the request of Georges Barrère to inaugurate his new platinum flute.  (21.5 is the density of platinum.) Density 21.5 breaks the stereotype of typical French music. This 4 minute-long  ground-breaking piece offers free tonality, an immense dynamic range,  surgically precise rhythms, steely and wispy colors, and it showcases Varèse's love for percussion.

Varèse was more interested in the nature of sound rather than the aspect of melody.  Listen with curiosity to the sounds and enjoy the emotional ride.

Music:
Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12 for solo flute by Karen Kevra
Edgard Varèse -Poème électronique Kees Tazelaar, Edgard Varèse & Institute for Computer Music
Jacques Offenbach - Barcarolle from Tale of Hoffman, Sir Neville Mariner
Frédéric Chopin - Ballade #4, Opus 52, Alfred Cortot
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1,  Philippe Entremont
Edgard Varèse - Amériques, The Philadelphia Orchestra
Edgard Varèse, Ionisation, The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
Edgard Varèse - Déserts, Choeurs de Radio France, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Claude Debussy - Syrinx, Karen Kevra
Cécile Chaminade - Concertino, Karen Kevra
Edgard Varèse - Density 21.5, Karen Kevra
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Flight of the Bumblebee from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera  "The Tale of Tsar Saltan"--is at the heart of a fantastical tale which includes a large cast of characters including a king and a queen, a magical swan, and a prince turned bumblebee. It's a dazzling colorful encore piece, instantly recognizable and adopted by all kinds of instrumentalists, from string players, to pianists and of course flutists. The buzzier and the faster, the better!
Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12  for solo flute by Karen Kevra 
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Flight of the Bumblebee by the Russian National Orchestra
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, Op. 35 - I. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship,  André Previn · Rainer Küchl · Wiener Philharmoniker 
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Flight of the Bumblebee by Karen Kevra 


photo credit: Karen Kevra
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