Takemitsu was in the process of writing a flute concerto for Patrick Gallois when he died in 1996 at the comparatively young age of 65. All that survives of that work in completed form is a brief flute solo called “Air” that the composer felt could be played independently. This haunting little work will evoke memories of Debussy’s Syrinx, as will several other pieces in this collection dedicated both to the flute and to images and ideas also explored by the French composer, specifically wind and water. Toward the Sea exists in three versions, for flute and guitar, flute and harp, and flute, harp, and string orchestra. There isn’t all that much difference between them, save for the extra harmonic support offered by the strings, but the subtle variations in timbre do make repeated listening a worthwhile experience, and the music itself sounds lovely however you take it. And Then I Knew ’twas Wind, for flute, viola, and harp also pays homage to Debussy–in this case Debussy’s sonata for the same instruments which Takemitsu gently quotes now and then before embarking on his own exploration of the musical possibilities latent in this unusual but very flexible and expressively “complete” ensemble. Finally, I Hear the Water Dreaming, for flute and orchestra, offers its composer’s characteristic brand of gentle poetry, mixing Messiaen’s harmonic colorations with Debussy’s prismatic orchestral writing. It’s all marvelously performed by Gallois and his colleagues, and atmospherically recorded too. Few discs really deserve to be called “exquisite”. Here’s one.
