Concerts in Allenspark

Attended a wonderful concert in Allenspark, CO, last night. It was an evening of flute and piano music in the most unassuming of concert locations - a semi-remote cabin not too far from Rocky Mountain National Park. The hosts (Margie and Glenn Patterson) built their cabin with performance in mind. The view from the main hall certainly trumps any concert hall I've seen yet! And to top it off, the concert was for a great cause - benefitting the area's community center.

The Hannigans were in full force last night, giving a great concert. Barry and Mary Hannigan are an amazing duo. Their combined aptitude for grace and nuance is just as great as their respective technical capacities. The evening started with Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata for Flute in B minor (BWV 1030), the most striking part of which were the Hannigan's skillful trade-offs in melody as it moved from flute to piano and back. Neither overpowered each other, and yet each made their presence known. It was a technical marvel and, considering the altitude, Mary appeared to perform with great ease (and enjoyment!).

The program followed with William Bolcom's Ghost Rag. It was an apt choice, adding levity and lightening the mood before another major work - Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata in A Major, Op. 101 (the first of Beethoven's late piano sonatas). The entire sonata is incredibly dense, harmonically, and brilliant in its treatment of melodies. Particularly in the case of the March and final fugue, Barry demonstrated great care and technique in highlighting the incredible melodic movement.

Mary returned and the two of them played Paul Taffanel's Grande Fantasie (Mignon), a delightfully virtuosic piece that (according to Mary) doesn't do justice to the myriad contributions Taffanel made to advance flute playing in the 19th century. After the Grand Fantasie, the Hannigans ended the concert with one of Edward Elgar's Chansons (I believe Chanson d'amour). It was light and the Hannigans again displayed their capacity for nuance. It was very apparent in both the Elgar and Taffenel pieces that they have played together for so long. I appreciated hearing how easily they balanced each other.

In all, it was a great evening, and proves again (to me, at least) that music can be found in the most unsuspecting of places. The Hannigans have played concert halls everywhere from Russia to New Zealand, but they also play to enthusiastic audiences in Allenspark, CO, in a hillside cabin just off Highway 7.