The gentle pairing of flute, guitar

By CHRISTOPHER BLANK, Times Correspondent

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

The flute and the classical guitar are two of the gentlest instruments in their respective classes. Put them together, as virtuoso duo Gary Schocker and Jason Vieaux have done, and it's a recital as soft and warm as a feather in a bassinet.

It has been a year since the pair first performed at St. Petersburg's Museum of Fine Arts, and their return Sunday is the first time they will play their latest program, highlighted by a Bach sonata.

"We tried to make the program as varied as possible," said Jason Vieaux last week while rehearsing in New York. "The problem is that there just isn't a great deal of music for flute and guitar."

The duo have learned to adapt. It helps that Schocker is a composer as well as a renowned flute soloist. Bach isn't a stretch for Schocker: one of his solo albums on Chesky Records is partially devoted to him.

It seems that Vieaux is doing the most stretching for this concert. Or at least his fingers are. In adapting the Bach sonata, the flute is playing the original cello part. On guitar, Vieaux plays the harpsichord part.

"We've been working out the ensemble kinks of the flute and guitar," Vieaux said. "The challenge is to balance the two sounds."

Last year's concert was popular with local listeners. Vieaux said they were invited back almost immediately, and you can hear why. The effervescence of the flute is almost a perfect companion to the classical guitar's burbling plucks. Even Vieaux, who has toured internationally and recorded two discs of 20th century Latin music, said, "Flute works best with guitar. They are both very organic instruments."

Among the other pieces on Sunday's program are a variation on Greensleeves, works by Villa-Lobos and Ibert, and an Albeniz solo performed by Vieaux.

At a glance

Gary Schocker and Jason Vieaux perform at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, 255 Beach Drive NE. Tickets are $10 advance and $12 day of show. Call (727) 896-2667.