By Lisa Shroeder
As the room begins to fill for the Opening Gala Concert at the 36th annual National Flute Convention in Kansas City, I take my seat in the audience and listen to the chatter around me. I am immersed in thoughtful anticipation with the idea of seeing a world-class flute and guitar duo open up the convention, performing none other than Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Originally written by Piazzolla for his quintet of violin, bandoneon, electric guitar, piano, and bass; this virtuosic piece was recently re-arranged for tonight’s duo performance by a longtime friend of Piazzolla, Sergio Assad; a great guitarist and composer in his own right.
The lights dim as Eugenia Moliner and Denis Azabagic take the stage. Cavatina Duo is set for another memorable performance. Their dynamic presence and musicianship is felt right away and the audience is soon transported into their world of strong conviction and passionate understanding of the tango in this four-movement piece. Time seems to vanish and before I realize it, the two are called back to the stage again for an encore, once again visiting Piazzolla’s repetiore, playing Libertango.
The next evening, Cavatina Duo plays an entire hour-long concert of newly commissioned works from the Balkan region, that of Denis’ homeland. These works were written and dedicated to Eugenia and Denis by Carlos Rafael Rivera, Alan Thomas, and Clarice Assad (daughter of above mentioned Sergio Assad). The Duo concludes the evening’s program with the challenging Acrobats, by David Leisner and the famed Histoire du Tango by Piazzolla.
The NFA Convention is just one example of what the Cavatina Duo is about. Their passion of commissioning, performing and recording substantial works for the flute and guitar combination is an inspiration for aspiring chamber groups everywhere. Establishing the validity for the flute and guitar duo is at the forefront of everything Cavatina sets out to accomplish. Their desire is for the guitar to always have intrinsic and complex harmonic lines, in equality with the flute. The duo has already added almost a dozen challenging pieces to the flute and guitar repertoire, but according to them this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Cavatina Duo’s conception took place on a stage in Eugenia’s homeland of Spain. “Denis and I met in Rotterdam in October of 1991, and we married in 1993. We played a concert together back in 1993, in Spain. Back then, not in our wildest dreams would we have thought that playing together was going to be a big part of our careers. Denis was persistently going to and winning solo guitar competitions and I was studying and freelancing in orchestras and chamber music ensembles in the Netherlands.”
Following the advice of friend and mentor Jaime Marin (principal of Saint Martin on the Field, the European Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic), Eugenia moved to Holland. With Holland’s many prominent orchestras and renowned musicians, Moliner was eager to begin her studies. Due to the war in his country (that being the former Yugoslavia, though now known as Bosnia), Denis was forced to move in order to continue his studies…coincidentally he also chose Holland.
During Eugenia’s flute studies in the Netherlands, Ms. Moliner won the Young Musicians of De Doelen competition in Rotterdam (1996), was active as a chamber musician and also was performing with professional orchestras. She obtained degrees in Solo Performance and Chamber Music from the Conservatorium Superior de Musica Joaquin Rodrigo in Valencia (Spain) and the Rotterdam Conservatorium (Netherlands), the later being where she was awarded the highest score ever given at the conservatory.
At the age of 20, Denis Azabagic became the youngest winner of one of the most prestigious International Guitar Competitions “Jacinto e Inocencio Guerrero,” in Madrid, Spain. After listening to his performance, the distinguished Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril said: “I am sure that with time, he is going to be one of the greatest guitarists of the world.” Between 1992 and 1999 Denis won twenty-four prizes in international competitions, eleven of which were first prizes. He has written a book entitled “On Competitions”, published through Mel Bay, which is based on his experience during these fruitful years.
Eugenia mentions that, “while studying in Rotterdam, we played sometimes at the school open day and a few more concerts in 1996. That year we did a chamber music competition in the Netherlands and it went really well; we won. However, in all those years of study, we played only 20-25 concerts; and taking the Duo to another level would wait a bit longer.”
In 1999 the Cavatina Duo recorded their first CD, with which they received rave reviews. Those reviews awakened Eugenia and Denis to the fact that they had something serious. In 2001, they started touring and soon began playing in concert series and festivals around the world. They now have an agent that they have been working with for the past five years, one who has done great work in booking even more prestigious engagements.
Cavatina’s stand on the legitimacy of the flute and guitar duo as a whole is unwavering. “First of all we want to be seen as an established chamber music ensemble that is capable of creating unique and wholesome programs, and can attract wide enthusiastic audiences, who love the combination of our sounds and expressive instruments. We would like the flute and guitar duo to be seen with the same eyes as other ensembles, such as the string quartet, piano trio, and wind quintet.” They have recorded five CD’s, the most recent being the April 27th release of The Balkan Project, released on the Chicago based label Cedille Records. Later this year, they will also release an all Piazzolla CD on the Spanish label Opera Tres. This CD will feature, The Six Tango Etudes, written originally for solo flute, now with a new guitar part composed exclusively for the Cavatina Duo by the three time Grammy Award winning guitarist and composer, Sergio Assad.
The Duo has performed hundreds of concerts for chamber music series, University series, and music festivals around the world in countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, Mexico, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Taiwan, China, Denmark, and all over the U.S. Even when faced with opposition from presenters of chamber series around the world who never had flute and guitar on their roster, Cavatina paves the way. This upcoming August, Eugenia and Denis will perform the US premiere of the Concerto for flute, guitar, and orchestra (commissioned and dedicated to them by the composer Alan Thomas) at the City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan.
Commissions…
Expansion of the existing repertoire is a vital part in bringing more recognition to the flute and guitar duo. “Finding funds to commission is the toughest part,” says Eugenia. “We were awarded the Encore Grant in 2004, and have also sponsored some commissions on our own.”
“It is important to create a connection with composers and awaken their enthusiasm for writing for our combination. Composers need to know the huge range of possibilities that our ensemble can offer.”
“We commission the pieces from composers whose work we know and we like, then we collaborate with them during the compositional process. They also know our playing, our musical inclination and taste, which guide them in their work. The guitar is a demanding instrument to compose for. We wish the guitar part to have much more than a pure accompanying role. So that is one of our demands…It’s also in the composer’s interest to hear our ideas, concerns, and to create the piece that we will like, so it ends up in our repertoire.”
Both Eugenia and Denis feel most connected to composers such as Sergio and Clarice Assad, David Leisner, Alan Thomas, Carlos Rivera, Michael Karmon, Vojislav Ivanovic, and Alejandro Yague.
Repertoire…
When choosing repertoire with which to perform or record, Cavatina Duo has always gravitated toward pieces that are most appealing to them personally. “We learn the music that we feel is going to be a good addition to the repertoire and that we sense will have a good response from the audience. We think that the fact that there is not that much repertoire written doesn’t make a good enough case to have to learn everything that is already there.”
Throughout the years, Eugenia and Denis have discovered many unknown pieces, transcriptions, and arrangements for the flute and guitar. Some of their favorite transcriptions are Borne’s Carmen Fantasy, Mozart’s piano sonatas, and Bach’s flute sonatas. One of the first pieces that the duo took on was the Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla, the only original piece for flute and guitar that Piazzolla wrote. They have also recorded pieces like the unknown and challenging Sonata for flute and guitar by Edison Denisow
“We aim as much as we can to have in our programs original music written for our combination, although sometimes we will choose some of the repertoire depending on the venue. Still our goal, even if we have to compromise a bit, will be to find a balance between the best transcriptions we can find and the originals.”
On the subject of recording, Eugenia replies “Recording is a different thing. Record companies very often want music that has never been recorded before, as well as a thematic CD, so we propose programs having those things in mind.” Most of the music Eugenia and Denis have commissioned is by composers from around the world, composers who have arranged dances and songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Rumania.
Touring…
Denis and Eugenia know first hand the importance of exposing audiences around the world to great flute and guitar music. “There are many advances in technology, still nothing compares to a live performance. Audiences know that, the electrifying moments that happen during performances in a concert hall can’t be explained and they are the gift that we as musicians can give to the audience. We ought to do just that if we want to develop faithful followers of our flute and guitar duo. Play good music and create a kind of magic in the process…”
Perceptions…
The Cavatina Duo remains optimistic when discussing the diminutive perception of the flute and guitar duo that they sometimes encounter. “There are some disheartening moments when the presenters perceive the duo as a lesser group than other established ensembles (string quartet, etc…), and choose not to hire us, or even consider us… or of course when there is a small audience present, but those moments are not important at all! These are just bumps on the road, not more. The good moments outweigh those bumps by far.”
Power in Numbers…
The flute and guitar world is growing with more and more performers striving to make a positive impact for the future. “We are always very happy when we see other duos doing well. Just look how many string quartets there are, and so many are really successful ones. Even some agents only deal with string quartets. So, if they can do it, because there is so much good repertoire written for string quartets, we will also do that too. Meanwhile I would love to see lots of flute and guitar duos that contribute to the creation and expansion of our repertoire and play around as much as they can to create a big flock of followers. I believe that our combination will play in the best chamber series there are out there, because music is what matters and that we can do. Flute and guitar has the potential to become a respected ensemble, we just need more of us to make it happen.”
“When sometimes we get setbacks, we comfort ourselves thinking that in a way we are pioneers (together with other duos) in our combination and all the things that implicate that. That brings us joy, because braking ice… it’s hard but is also fulfilling. We know we are doing what we love and at the same time paving the way for future generations who will follow.”
Rehearsing…
First, Eugenia and Denis prepare their parts separately then they rehearse together. When there is a new program or a recording project planned, they rehearse together every day. Their strong work ethic is what shows results, along with their fiery opinions. Each practice session can often be intense and heated with disagreements, which are not always pretty. However, this is all part of what makes Cavatina Duo’s interpretation of the repertoire so unique and passionate.
“I consider myself very lucky,” proclaims Eugenia, “I play with a fantastic musician and an over the top guitarist…Yes, he happens to be my husband and that makes it even better (but don’t come near by when we are rehearsing…) On top of his amazing technique Denis has an incredible loud sound for a classical guitarist.”
“I just enjoy so much playing with Eugenia,” declares Denis, “Sometimes it strikes me how lucky I am to play with a great musician and flutist, to learn from her, to be inspired, moved, to share this world of music together, to be on the stage together, to travel together…She is my wife, and we are sharing something very special.” When asked about the most difficult thing associated with being in a duo with your spouse, Denis playfully comments with “rehearsing!” and jokes that it is best to always respond with “yes honey!”
Program Order…
When the duo sets out to decide the order of repertoire for a concert program, their main focus is on engaging the audience throughout the entire show. Eugenia speaks at length about this subject by stating, “We met a presenter long ago, before we were even serious about the duo and he said to us a few things that are still present today when we decide the programs: ‘How you open and close the concert is essential for the success of the whole event.’”
“We feel there are three important moment in the concert: the beginning, the ending of the first half, and the ending of the concert. Variety is certainly something to pay attention to as well. Choosing carefully makes a big difference and can make audiences love you or forget about you in two seconds. We choose the repertoire and the order we play it in very carefully, to get the momentum and the energy of the concert in its place…”
Recording…
The duo always records in the same room together, as opposed to having separate tracks. They describe the process as “playing a concert, just that there are only two or three people on the other side of the glass…they are our audience and recording engineers and producers at the same time.”
“Since we started recording for Cedille Records in Chicago, we have enjoyed recording two CD’s at the WFMT radio studios. We have also recorded three other CD’s in concert halls, such as Ganz Hall in Chicago.”
The recording process has not always been easy. When speaking of past recording locations, the pair recalls their experience of recording in a small chapel in Spain. “It was a nightmare due to the room noises. We had to redo takes countless times just because of noises!”
Promotion…
Eugenia admits that it is important to have a booking agent and a record label, but many groups start with neither. “We were lucky with our first CD, recording for a small Spanish label, Opera Tres. They paid everything plus the most important; they have a great distribution. Now we are very happy with Cedille Records, a label that puts all its energy behind every release, and we are also very happy with our agent, Lisa Sapinkopf.”
“I think it’s important to promote yourselves and eventually the agent will happen. Prepare a good repertoire and make a demo, then send it to presenters as well as agents. Do showcases to get known around the country, and most important: be persistent and things will start going sooner than you imagine!”
To Sit or To Stand? That is the question…
With so many duos positioning themselves in various ways, I found it fitting to hear this duo’s take on the subject. Their view is not only logical, but points back to their main focus, that being the music and the equality of the two instruments. Eugenia states, “I sit when I play with Denis. The reasons are simple, first: we strive for sound homogeneity and as the guitarist doesn’t stand up (or shouldn’t, unless he/she wants to be considered as a folklore musician forever) we look for the same acoustical source level. The guitar has a beautiful sound, but not that powerful and projecting as the piano, (with whom we stand up when we play with). Second: we want to be seen as a chamber group with both instruments having substantial roles. If I stand, we feel the perception of the ensemble changes to soloist and accompanist. Our message is clear: we are a duo, and we want to be seen as both having an important part in it.”
Another area of contention for any group is the subject of memorization. “Denis performs all of his solo concerts without music, but with the duo, he doesn’t feel it is necessary.” Eugenia explains, “I asked him many times to play the concerts by heart, and we have done it on counted occasions, but he believes it is fine to play from the score in chamber music…”
Time is on our side…
Eugenia believes that it is just a matter of time before the flute and guitar duo gains notoriety. With the onset of more and more duos being recognized at the forefront of classical music, the outlook is promising. She encourages other duos to “Believe in yourself, enjoy making music together, and be strong when people are being negative about the future of flute and guitar ensemble…Time is on our side.”
“It is hard in the beginning as it is with any enterprise that a person can start, believe in, and pursue. One must follow his/her convictions and things develop with time…Follow your dream.”
When asked what the recipe is for a great flute and guitar duo, Eugenia and Denis humbly respond, “We enjoy playing together, work hard at it and take very seriously what we do. If that make us great, we’ll let others say it.”
As the room begins to fill for the Opening Gala Concert at the 36th annual National Flute Convention in Kansas City, I take my seat in the audience and listen to the chatter around me. I am immersed in thoughtful anticipation with the idea of seeing a world-class flute and guitar duo open up the convention, performing none other than Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Originally written by Piazzolla for his quintet of violin, bandoneon, electric guitar, piano, and bass; this virtuosic piece was recently re-arranged for tonight’s duo performance by a longtime friend of Piazzolla, Sergio Assad; a great guitarist and composer in his own right.
The lights dim as Eugenia Moliner and Denis Azabagic take the stage. Cavatina Duo is set for another memorable performance. Their dynamic presence and musicianship is felt right away and the audience is soon transported into their world of strong conviction and passionate understanding of the tango in this four-movement piece. Time seems to vanish and before I realize it, the two are called back to the stage again for an encore, once again visiting Piazzolla’s repetiore, playing Libertango.
The next evening, Cavatina Duo plays an entire hour-long concert of newly commissioned works from the Balkan region, that of Denis’ homeland. These works were written and dedicated to Eugenia and Denis by Carlos Rafael Rivera, Alan Thomas, and Clarice Assad (daughter of above mentioned Sergio Assad). The Duo concludes the evening’s program with the challenging Acrobats, by David Leisner and the famed Histoire du Tango by Piazzolla.
The NFA Convention is just one example of what the Cavatina Duo is about. Their passion of commissioning, performing and recording substantial works for the flute and guitar combination is an inspiration for aspiring chamber groups everywhere. Establishing the validity for the flute and guitar duo is at the forefront of everything Cavatina sets out to accomplish. Their desire is for the guitar to always have intrinsic and complex harmonic lines, in equality with the flute. The duo has already added almost a dozen challenging pieces to the flute and guitar repertoire, but according to them this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Cavatina Duo’s conception took place on a stage in Eugenia’s homeland of Spain. “Denis and I met in Rotterdam in October of 1991, and we married in 1993. We played a concert together back in 1993, in Spain. Back then, not in our wildest dreams would we have thought that playing together was going to be a big part of our careers. Denis was persistently going to and winning solo guitar competitions and I was studying and freelancing in orchestras and chamber music ensembles in the Netherlands.”
Following the advice of friend and mentor Jaime Marin (principal of Saint Martin on the Field, the European Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic), Eugenia moved to Holland. With Holland’s many prominent orchestras and renowned musicians, Moliner was eager to begin her studies. Due to the war in his country (that being the former Yugoslavia, though now known as Bosnia), Denis was forced to move in order to continue his studies…coincidentally he also chose Holland.
During Eugenia’s flute studies in the Netherlands, Ms. Moliner won the Young Musicians of De Doelen competition in Rotterdam (1996), was active as a chamber musician and also was performing with professional orchestras. She obtained degrees in Solo Performance and Chamber Music from the Conservatorium Superior de Musica Joaquin Rodrigo in Valencia (Spain) and the Rotterdam Conservatorium (Netherlands), the later being where she was awarded the highest score ever given at the conservatory.
At the age of 20, Denis Azabagic became the youngest winner of one of the most prestigious International Guitar Competitions “Jacinto e Inocencio Guerrero,” in Madrid, Spain. After listening to his performance, the distinguished Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril said: “I am sure that with time, he is going to be one of the greatest guitarists of the world.” Between 1992 and 1999 Denis won twenty-four prizes in international competitions, eleven of which were first prizes. He has written a book entitled “On Competitions”, published through Mel Bay, which is based on his experience during these fruitful years.
Eugenia mentions that, “while studying in Rotterdam, we played sometimes at the school open day and a few more concerts in 1996. That year we did a chamber music competition in the Netherlands and it went really well; we won. However, in all those years of study, we played only 20-25 concerts; and taking the Duo to another level would wait a bit longer.”
In 1999 the Cavatina Duo recorded their first CD, with which they received rave reviews. Those reviews awakened Eugenia and Denis to the fact that they had something serious. In 2001, they started touring and soon began playing in concert series and festivals around the world. They now have an agent that they have been working with for the past five years, one who has done great work in booking even more prestigious engagements.
Cavatina’s stand on the legitimacy of the flute and guitar duo as a whole is unwavering. “First of all we want to be seen as an established chamber music ensemble that is capable of creating unique and wholesome programs, and can attract wide enthusiastic audiences, who love the combination of our sounds and expressive instruments. We would like the flute and guitar duo to be seen with the same eyes as other ensembles, such as the string quartet, piano trio, and wind quintet.” They have recorded five CD’s, the most recent being the April 27th release of The Balkan Project, released on the Chicago based label Cedille Records. Later this year, they will also release an all Piazzolla CD on the Spanish label Opera Tres. This CD will feature, The Six Tango Etudes, written originally for solo flute, now with a new guitar part composed exclusively for the Cavatina Duo by the three time Grammy Award winning guitarist and composer, Sergio Assad.
The Duo has performed hundreds of concerts for chamber music series, University series, and music festivals around the world in countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, Mexico, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Taiwan, China, Denmark, and all over the U.S. Even when faced with opposition from presenters of chamber series around the world who never had flute and guitar on their roster, Cavatina paves the way. This upcoming August, Eugenia and Denis will perform the US premiere of the Concerto for flute, guitar, and orchestra (commissioned and dedicated to them by the composer Alan Thomas) at the City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan.
Commissions…
Expansion of the existing repertoire is a vital part in bringing more recognition to the flute and guitar duo. “Finding funds to commission is the toughest part,” says Eugenia. “We were awarded the Encore Grant in 2004, and have also sponsored some commissions on our own.”
“It is important to create a connection with composers and awaken their enthusiasm for writing for our combination. Composers need to know the huge range of possibilities that our ensemble can offer.”
“We commission the pieces from composers whose work we know and we like, then we collaborate with them during the compositional process. They also know our playing, our musical inclination and taste, which guide them in their work. The guitar is a demanding instrument to compose for. We wish the guitar part to have much more than a pure accompanying role. So that is one of our demands…It’s also in the composer’s interest to hear our ideas, concerns, and to create the piece that we will like, so it ends up in our repertoire.”
Both Eugenia and Denis feel most connected to composers such as Sergio and Clarice Assad, David Leisner, Alan Thomas, Carlos Rivera, Michael Karmon, Vojislav Ivanovic, and Alejandro Yague.
Repertoire…
When choosing repertoire with which to perform or record, Cavatina Duo has always gravitated toward pieces that are most appealing to them personally. “We learn the music that we feel is going to be a good addition to the repertoire and that we sense will have a good response from the audience. We think that the fact that there is not that much repertoire written doesn’t make a good enough case to have to learn everything that is already there.”
Throughout the years, Eugenia and Denis have discovered many unknown pieces, transcriptions, and arrangements for the flute and guitar. Some of their favorite transcriptions are Borne’s Carmen Fantasy, Mozart’s piano sonatas, and Bach’s flute sonatas. One of the first pieces that the duo took on was the Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla, the only original piece for flute and guitar that Piazzolla wrote. They have also recorded pieces like the unknown and challenging Sonata for flute and guitar by Edison Denisow
“We aim as much as we can to have in our programs original music written for our combination, although sometimes we will choose some of the repertoire depending on the venue. Still our goal, even if we have to compromise a bit, will be to find a balance between the best transcriptions we can find and the originals.”
On the subject of recording, Eugenia replies “Recording is a different thing. Record companies very often want music that has never been recorded before, as well as a thematic CD, so we propose programs having those things in mind.” Most of the music Eugenia and Denis have commissioned is by composers from around the world, composers who have arranged dances and songs from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Rumania.
Touring…
Denis and Eugenia know first hand the importance of exposing audiences around the world to great flute and guitar music. “There are many advances in technology, still nothing compares to a live performance. Audiences know that, the electrifying moments that happen during performances in a concert hall can’t be explained and they are the gift that we as musicians can give to the audience. We ought to do just that if we want to develop faithful followers of our flute and guitar duo. Play good music and create a kind of magic in the process…”
Perceptions…
The Cavatina Duo remains optimistic when discussing the diminutive perception of the flute and guitar duo that they sometimes encounter. “There are some disheartening moments when the presenters perceive the duo as a lesser group than other established ensembles (string quartet, etc…), and choose not to hire us, or even consider us… or of course when there is a small audience present, but those moments are not important at all! These are just bumps on the road, not more. The good moments outweigh those bumps by far.”
Power in Numbers…
The flute and guitar world is growing with more and more performers striving to make a positive impact for the future. “We are always very happy when we see other duos doing well. Just look how many string quartets there are, and so many are really successful ones. Even some agents only deal with string quartets. So, if they can do it, because there is so much good repertoire written for string quartets, we will also do that too. Meanwhile I would love to see lots of flute and guitar duos that contribute to the creation and expansion of our repertoire and play around as much as they can to create a big flock of followers. I believe that our combination will play in the best chamber series there are out there, because music is what matters and that we can do. Flute and guitar has the potential to become a respected ensemble, we just need more of us to make it happen.”
“When sometimes we get setbacks, we comfort ourselves thinking that in a way we are pioneers (together with other duos) in our combination and all the things that implicate that. That brings us joy, because braking ice… it’s hard but is also fulfilling. We know we are doing what we love and at the same time paving the way for future generations who will follow.”
Rehearsing…
First, Eugenia and Denis prepare their parts separately then they rehearse together. When there is a new program or a recording project planned, they rehearse together every day. Their strong work ethic is what shows results, along with their fiery opinions. Each practice session can often be intense and heated with disagreements, which are not always pretty. However, this is all part of what makes Cavatina Duo’s interpretation of the repertoire so unique and passionate.
“I consider myself very lucky,” proclaims Eugenia, “I play with a fantastic musician and an over the top guitarist…Yes, he happens to be my husband and that makes it even better (but don’t come near by when we are rehearsing…) On top of his amazing technique Denis has an incredible loud sound for a classical guitarist.”
“I just enjoy so much playing with Eugenia,” declares Denis, “Sometimes it strikes me how lucky I am to play with a great musician and flutist, to learn from her, to be inspired, moved, to share this world of music together, to be on the stage together, to travel together…She is my wife, and we are sharing something very special.” When asked about the most difficult thing associated with being in a duo with your spouse, Denis playfully comments with “rehearsing!” and jokes that it is best to always respond with “yes honey!”
Program Order…
When the duo sets out to decide the order of repertoire for a concert program, their main focus is on engaging the audience throughout the entire show. Eugenia speaks at length about this subject by stating, “We met a presenter long ago, before we were even serious about the duo and he said to us a few things that are still present today when we decide the programs: ‘How you open and close the concert is essential for the success of the whole event.’”
“We feel there are three important moment in the concert: the beginning, the ending of the first half, and the ending of the concert. Variety is certainly something to pay attention to as well. Choosing carefully makes a big difference and can make audiences love you or forget about you in two seconds. We choose the repertoire and the order we play it in very carefully, to get the momentum and the energy of the concert in its place…”
Recording…
The duo always records in the same room together, as opposed to having separate tracks. They describe the process as “playing a concert, just that there are only two or three people on the other side of the glass…they are our audience and recording engineers and producers at the same time.”
“Since we started recording for Cedille Records in Chicago, we have enjoyed recording two CD’s at the WFMT radio studios. We have also recorded three other CD’s in concert halls, such as Ganz Hall in Chicago.”
The recording process has not always been easy. When speaking of past recording locations, the pair recalls their experience of recording in a small chapel in Spain. “It was a nightmare due to the room noises. We had to redo takes countless times just because of noises!”
Promotion…
Eugenia admits that it is important to have a booking agent and a record label, but many groups start with neither. “We were lucky with our first CD, recording for a small Spanish label, Opera Tres. They paid everything plus the most important; they have a great distribution. Now we are very happy with Cedille Records, a label that puts all its energy behind every release, and we are also very happy with our agent, Lisa Sapinkopf.”
“I think it’s important to promote yourselves and eventually the agent will happen. Prepare a good repertoire and make a demo, then send it to presenters as well as agents. Do showcases to get known around the country, and most important: be persistent and things will start going sooner than you imagine!”
To Sit or To Stand? That is the question…
With so many duos positioning themselves in various ways, I found it fitting to hear this duo’s take on the subject. Their view is not only logical, but points back to their main focus, that being the music and the equality of the two instruments. Eugenia states, “I sit when I play with Denis. The reasons are simple, first: we strive for sound homogeneity and as the guitarist doesn’t stand up (or shouldn’t, unless he/she wants to be considered as a folklore musician forever) we look for the same acoustical source level. The guitar has a beautiful sound, but not that powerful and projecting as the piano, (with whom we stand up when we play with). Second: we want to be seen as a chamber group with both instruments having substantial roles. If I stand, we feel the perception of the ensemble changes to soloist and accompanist. Our message is clear: we are a duo, and we want to be seen as both having an important part in it.”
Another area of contention for any group is the subject of memorization. “Denis performs all of his solo concerts without music, but with the duo, he doesn’t feel it is necessary.” Eugenia explains, “I asked him many times to play the concerts by heart, and we have done it on counted occasions, but he believes it is fine to play from the score in chamber music…”
Time is on our side…
Eugenia believes that it is just a matter of time before the flute and guitar duo gains notoriety. With the onset of more and more duos being recognized at the forefront of classical music, the outlook is promising. She encourages other duos to “Believe in yourself, enjoy making music together, and be strong when people are being negative about the future of flute and guitar ensemble…Time is on our side.”
“It is hard in the beginning as it is with any enterprise that a person can start, believe in, and pursue. One must follow his/her convictions and things develop with time…Follow your dream.”
When asked what the recipe is for a great flute and guitar duo, Eugenia and Denis humbly respond, “We enjoy playing together, work hard at it and take very seriously what we do. If that make us great, we’ll let others say it.”