Traversing the continents.
The flute may have inherited from antiquity a privileged position among instruments, but in its more recent history it has been reduced to a more humble role, and it took the creative imagination of the 20th century to bring its gifts to the fore in important and varied works. Ideal companions in their melodic pursuits, the flute and harp wander the paths of the world in a program of particular interest. From Buenos Aires and the birth of tango, uniquely narrated by Astor Piazzolla, to the sunny shores of the Italian Riviera and the charming Fantasia of Camille Saint-Saëns. And from the passionate flamenco footsteps to the music Ibert wrote for Calderon de la Barca’s theatrical masterpiece The Doctor of Honour to the striking musical architecture of the American Lowell Lieberman. The journey concludes in India with the age-old tradition through the eyes of Ravi Shankar.