Romantic Flute & Harp – Per Øien

Romantic flute and harp

Through works by central composers, flutist Per Øien and harpist Elisabeth Sönstevold presents important excerpts from flute history of the art musical world, all recorded during the mid 1980s at the Henie Onstad Art Center. From the spirited and brilliant «Hamburg Sonata» by C.P.E. Bach, via works by composers by the like of Rossini, Chopin, Fauré, to Debussy, Ravel and Nielsen, the flute´s irresistable timbre is brought to the forefront through the different eras of the art musical history. Especially notable is Debussy´s «Arabesque No. 1», with its charm and freshness, Iberts «Entr´acte», with its lively and dynamic rhythmics, and Saint-Saëns «Le Cygne» og «Volière», from the humorous zoological fantasy «Carnival of the Animal» – some of the album´s definite highligts.

Per Øien is one of the most recognized flutist Norway has ever spawned, with a long and notable career as a performing musician, both as a solist and as a chamber and orchestral musician, besides being an inspiring and sought after teacher for many of today´s flutists. Also Elisabeth Sönstevold, daugther of composers Gunnar and Maj Sönstevold, has had a notable career as a leader for several of her own ensembles, teacher at the Norwegian Academy of Music and the University of Oslo, chairman of the Philharmonic and as a freelance musician.