He is a very thoughtful and expressive player and this work highlights his capabilities.

As the liner notes state, вЂњIn this recording, Krynica is played as an introduction to a piece for flute and guitar called Un ange which is the second movement of La ballade dвЂ™Irina written in a style close to the French impressionism.вЂќ Excellent playing by McAllister in Krynica. Krynica is part of a trilogy for solo guitar called Trois piГЁces brГЁves. Krynica & Un ange by SГ©bastien Vachez (b.1973) is a natural choice to follow up the Poulenc with its French leanings and peaceful writing.

I like these two little solo works included on their duo album, you get a taste of each player before going back to ensemble works. Agnew pulls this off with ease and has especially nice phrase endings and breath control. Un Joueur de flГ»te berce les ruines is a pretty work by Poulenc for solo flute.

Composer Lennox Berkeley wrote of Poulenc, вЂњAll through his life, he was content to use conventional harmony, but his use of it was so individual, so immediately recognizable as his own, that it gave his music freshness and validity.вЂќ The beautiful Sarabande (1959) for solo guitar was dedicated to the French guitarist Ida Presti and makes simple but effective use of the guitarвЂ™s open strings allowing the instrument to sustain appropriately. The pretty thirdВ movement and the final Allegro have all the best elements I love fromВ Baroque chamber music.ДЇrench composer and pianist Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) is well known as a member of the Les Six composers who moved away from the then-dominant styles of Wagner and the so-called impressionist composers. Excellent energy, ornaments, and articulations from McAllister. Much better combo than flute with modern keyboard crashing about or mudding up the texture. The guitar is nice and light like a harpsichord but with a more bell-like sound. The wonderful phrasing and sustain of the flute with the guitar make for a great combo. McAllister adds some extra motivic touches here and there which sound great. They just need a tasteful and light harmonization of the bass line. There is a wealth of these kind of works from the Baroque era just waiting for guitar transcription. The 12 Flute Sonatas were published in 1732 and written for flute and continuo. Locatelli (1695-1764) was a virtuoso violinist and composer and likely influenced by Arcangelo Corelli. The album opens with the transcription of Italian baroque composer Pietro LocatelliвЂ™s Sonata in G. He is one of nicest people IвЂ™ve met and inspired my students as well as demonstrated some beautiful playing. I had the chance to meet McAllister a few years back when he was adjudicating in Victoria. Irish flautist Aisling Agnew and Scottish guitarist Matthew McAllister have over 15 years experience of performing together and are both excellent artists so itвЂ™s no surprise that the album sounds great. The Uses of Not by Greg Caffrey (b.1963)Д«idla is the second album from the Agnew McAllister Duo and features duo transcriptions, solos, and newly commissioned works for flute and guitar.

Un Joueur de flГ»te berce les ruines by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963).

Sonata in G Major by Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764).

Aisling Agnew (Flute), Matthew McAllister (Guitar)ДЄrtist Websites:, , Д«uy or Listen to Samples: Bidla on Amazon

Poulenc sarabande presti