"provided a feeling of timelessness"
"I admired the simpleness of playing beautifully and totally honoring the music above everything else" Kate Hill, reviewer British Flute Society
(c) Craig White
Today marks two years since our recital at the Wigmore Hall. I cannot believe that it has been that long! It was a special recital played with a dear friend&colleague of mine, Pavel in a hall that is indeed my favourite chamber hall in the United Kingdom. It was such a pleasure to play there that immediately after the recital I wanted to go back and play another recital. I just love that hall. The day was also so special because so many people who I know came to the recital - my dear teachers, dear colleagues, supporters, some have travelled from as far as the Lake District and Wales to attend this recital. It was so special and touching to see them in the audience. It was also a great pleasure to perform my first recital for the Musicians' Company - fabulous organisation that has existed more than 500 years! Since I have joined Musicians' Company, it feels like I became part of a very big and wonderful family.
So yes, this recital was very special for me and so I am very happy to share these memories with you today
Here is some of the Review of our recital for the British Flute Society PAN magazine:
"This recital was part of the Musicians' Company Concerts and Maisie Lewis Young Artists Fund. An atmosphere of quiet expectancy , warm chats in the foyer and hall as it filled up before Alena and Pavel walked on to the hushed stage and welcomed the audience with lovely smiles. The evident rapport between the two was a strong feature of the whole programme. This evening was a treat in store.. A wonderful evening of marvellous musicianship with so many colours to entice one through the programme... Alena is a wonderfully accomplished player with the most beautiful round and expressive sound showing a huge range of colours, moods and dynamics with evident ease. She has excellent technique which never lets you for a moment think she might find anything difficult! I love her seamless legato with that lovely liquid golden, round sound always taking one through her musical phrasing.Their concert opened with their own arrangement of Corelli's Sonata. This was played with great neatness, musical shapes and plenty of sparkle in the faster movements ..Jolivet's Chant de Linos was played with great strength in every register. Alena has the power and control to tackle the demanding articulation with wonderful evenness in every register. No small feat!In the second half they performed Ervin Schulhoff's Sonata for flute and piano . The four movements all had their different characters displayed and this provided a feeling of timelessness. I admired the simpleness of playing beautifully and totally honoring the music above everything else. Faure's Morceau de Concours was a calm encore for an amazing recital. I just love listening to her playing and feeling totally safe and wrapped in warm music."
- Kate Hill, The British Flute Society
(c)Craig White
with Michie and Wibb Bennett, some of the wonderful flute colleagues and Niklas