Flautist Bridget Bolliger and guitarist Phillip Bolliger make a wonderfully sensitive duo in their new CD release, Pearls.
And their album is indeed pearl-like: a scattering of perfect miniatures, elegant and concise. Works by guitar masters Rodrigo and Villa-Lobos sit alongside a lesser-known Handel sonata, and a few of Phillip’s own compositions and some French impressionism are thrown in as well. The guitar plays a chameleon throughout this diverse selection, shifting from a basso continuo to a bossa nova, and covering many styles in between.
Immediately striking in Handel’s bright and buoyant D Major Sonata is the warmth of Bridget’s tone. She plays with a full-bodied yet pure sound, which is supported by her expressive interpretation.
The pieces by Debussy, Ravel, Villa-Lobos, and Fauré form a tentative suite, each emanating from the same hazy world of suggestion. Phillip’s arrangement of The Little Shepherd from Debussy’s Children’s Corner breathes easily, and Ravel’s languorous habanera is propelled with a tasteful deployment of rubato. Villa-Lobos’ Distribuição de flores evokes an imaginary ritual in the Amazon rainforest with drum-like beating of guitar strings, and Fauré receives a Latin-style reimagining in Phillip’s arrangement of Après un rêve.
The highlight of this CD is Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo’s Serenata al Alba del Dia. Rodrigo is a cornerstone of the classical guitar repertoire for good reason. His eminently characterful writing delivers crunchy harmonies and biting rhythms – needed contrast amongst this album’s otherwise largely consonant listening.
Bolliger’s fourth Sonatine comes from his set of sonatines, Flutarre, in which he explores idiomatic writing for flute and guitar. Bolliger embraces the guitar’s predominately quartal tuning, and his use of open strings is reminiscent of the earlier Villa-Lobos work. The second and third movements lend a more celtic flavour, being an aire and jig.
Pearls is dedicated to the Bridget and Phillip’s mother, Jill Bolliger, who passed away in 2020. The album is a family collaboration in more ways than one: Phillip plays a guitar crafted by the pair’s brother, luthier Matthew Bolliger. Accomplished playing and sensitive musicianship complete this touching family tribute, and Pearls succeeds in being a delightful advocate for the under-appreciated flute/guitar ensemble.
