Interesting sounds of the “Casanovas Flute Orchestra”

It was with great enthusiasm and curiosity that I went to the concert-presentation of the “Casanovas Flute Orchestra,” held at the Centro Cultural Virgen del Carmen hall on Friday, July 4. To be honest, it was the first time in my life that I got to experience the sound of an orchestra composed mostly of what are probably the oldest musical instruments in history. The idea to resuscitate the orchestra after a 15-year hiatus came from the initiative of Juan Francisco Cayuelas y José Francisco Sanchez, during preparations for the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Maestro Francisco Casanovas (1899 - 1986), a distinguished director of orchestras, composer and educator, who had just chosen the flute as his favorite instrument....

The entire evening was dominated by the interesting and inspiring sound of flutes, captured in compositions and arrangements by artists who are representatives of different eras and musical styles. The orchestra was led from the conductor's desk by its artistic director, maestro José Francisco Sánchez - an experienced orchestra director and oboist, offering the arriving audience a dose of musical works , developed and arranged for an orchestra of this particular unusual flute composition.

The program of the concert from the Baroque to the present day, and even fragments of film music, opened with a performance of excerpts from the famous opera “Orfeo” - G.F. Gluck, after which we heard three more excerpts from works representing the classics (P.I.Tchaikovsky, G.Bizet and S.Barber). In the interpretations of these well-known classics it was possible to notice the dynamic contrasts exhibited by the orchestra, effective articulation and an interesting way of conveying rhythmic games, mixed with the sentimental character of the melodic lines. However, I missed a wider color palette, which is undoubtedly due to the natural peculiarities of the flute's sound, and the fact that I am accustomed to aural contact with the original musical versions. Despite the apparent modesty of the color palette, lesser-known pieces like: “Monochrome V”- P. Schickele or “Mediterraneo” - J.M Serrata, with the lovely voice of Maria Sabater as soloist, managed to impress with an interesting melodic narrative.

Of course, the program set could not lack works by Francisco Casanovas himself. A real highlight were the performances of the themes “Perfume de Oriente” y “Guajiras,” in which maestro Sánchez with the Casanovas Flaut Orchestra perfectly recreated the spirit of the melodies, which certainly deserve greater popularization. In “Guajiras,” the solo part was masterfully performed by Jordi López on flute.

The audience was taken on a journey to graceful melodic depths from a slightly different world by maestro José Francisco Sánchez and his orchestra in the second part of the concert, offering the first movement of Salvador Brotons' Flute Suite Op 41 - :Divertimento,“ an interesting piece with varied rhythmic variations. Musical themes from films: ”The Sandpiper“, The Pink Panther” y “La Vida es Bella” added undoubted appeal to the performance of the Casanovas Flute Orchestra under the direction of J.F.Sanchez, while reaffirming the belief that we still like what we know best. The closing composition by L.Bernstein - Popuri from the Musical “West Side Story” - was interesting, the music being extremely melodic, rhythmic and enchanting with its fullness of dance rhythms and melodies latin and Jazz. This is music that cannot be performed without emotion. Despite the interesting arrangement, the arrangement lacked the ineffable flavor that in this particular case no new attempt at instrumentation of this work can probably convey. It is worth noting that most of the arrangements and arrangements of the works performed are the work of Juan Francisco Cayuelas.

The concert was a great success for OFC and director J.F.Sanchez. The enthusiastic audience gave the performers a standing ovation, receiving two encores from the performers in return. The applause was undoubtedly earned by maestro José Francisco Sánchez, who prepared and conducted the concert of the Casanovas Flute Orchestra with great dedication, taking advantage of the excellent technical and musical preparation of the musicians. In conclusion - we should wish the orchestra and its director many beautiful concerts, the joy of making music together and, of course, performances crowned with artistic success. The Casanovas Flute Orchestra deserves success !