When she still lived in Utah Laurel Ann Maurer was an active member of the classical music scene as a recitalist and chamber musician, in addition to her work as principal flute of the Salt Lake Symphony. Now that she’s moved to Vermont, Maurer still manages to return to the Beehive State on occasion to perform.
This week she’ll be back in town to do a concert with some well known local musicians. “I’m glad to be coming back to Utah,” Maurer said in a phone interview from her Vermont home. “I need to come back every so often.”
The concert she’ll be doing on Thursday in Dumke Recital Hall in David Gardner Hall, a concert she calls “Baroque and Blue,” is similar to the one she’s played in Vermont. “It’s a fun, beautiful program,” she said.
The “baroque” half consists of J.S. Bach’s Trio Sonata in G major; one of C.P.E. Bach’s Hamburg Sonatas; and Georg Philipp Telemann’s F major Sonata. “The Telemann was originally written for bassoon, but I’ve always heard it for flute,” Maurer said.
While composers of the first half of the 18th century were overshadowed by the towering figure of J.S. Bach, there were still quite a few who wrote music that measured up to Bach’s. “Both Telemann and C.P.E. Bach wrote great music,” Maurer said. “These sonatas by Telemann and C.P.E. Bach are really expressive and exciting pieces.”
After intermission, Maurer will do a musical about face and play Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano, a work inspired by the baroque. “It’s an entertaining work, but it’s also substantial,” Maurer said. “It’s challenging but fun, and every now and then I like to bring it out.”
The suite was written in 1973 for the late great French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, and is one of the first so called crossover works. “Bolling has a special niche,” Maurer said. “He is really the only one who can blend baroque and jazz and make it work.” And as a classically trained flutist, it takes effort to learn it, she added. “It takes some time to get into it to explore all the rhythms and flavors.”
The challenges the suite presents are one of the reasons not too many flutists tackle it. “It’s not done a lot because it takes a lot to get it together.”
Joining Maurer for the concert are flutist Nancy Toone; harpsichordist and pianist Pamela Jones; viola da gamba player Richard Jones; and bassist Denson Angulo.
- CONCERT DETAILS
- What: “Baroque and Blue,” concert with flutist Laurel Ann Maurer
- Venue: Dumke Recital Hall, David Gardner Hall, University of Utah
- Time and Date: 7 p.m. Aug. 1
- Tickets: Free, but donations accepted (suggested $10 general and $5 seniors/students)
- Web: www.laurelannmaurer.com
