[Biography]

Concert Lumiere is a flute ensemble group founded in Yokohama,Japan in 1995.They have been performing concerts regularly in Yokohama and appeared in numerous concerts and fastivals thoughout Japan and performed with artists such as William Bennett,Trevor Wye and Denis Bouriakov.They are eager to exploit new repertoire and their leader Watanabe has arranged many classical master pieces.They have previously been invited to the flute convention in England and USA.
CD［EVE］［Golden Sunset］
　　[Melody of Love]　(the Pan flute magazine : article)
♪　Butterworth:The Bank of Green Willow

-Member-
Hikaru Watanabe, Maiko Sekimoto
Makiko Saji
Noriko Fukuda

CD Melody of Love

Two-thirds of the items making up this disc should rate as universal favourites,while the tuneful remainder,by familiar composers,are well worth the space.
The excellent arrangements are by Hikaru Watanabe and William Bennett,sometimes working together.
Concert Lumiere will be familiar to some from their UK visits.The group has existed since 1995,under their leader Hikaru Watanabe,and has been noted for its adventurous repertoire and hige standards.
Denis Bouriakov,who has carried off prizes from many international competitions,performs as soloist alongside his former teracher William Bennett.

Handel's Royal Fireworks Overture makes a stirring start to the disc,followed by the Bach double violin concerto.The ripieni give hearty and accurate support to the two soloists,while Yoshie Yamada's contrabass flute contributes an ample,almost bassoon-like,continuo line. Their performance of the slow movement seems to raise the eternal question about the great,arching tune versus the semiquaver"accompaniment"figure.Which is more important?Personally,I favour the ture in this case.(But not in all cases!)Perhaps a little more give-and -take in the balance between the two soloists might have worked to greater effect.The final ten bars,however,are quite magical.The third movement is taken at a bold lick and remains suitably light,tight and athletic throughout.

In the Agnus Dei from the Bach's B minor Mass,a piece whose texture ideally suits this kind of group,so good was the ensemble and tonal blend that sometimes I was at pains to distinguish who was playing which part or even the difference between C flutes and alto flute.Saint-Saens's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with Denis Bouriakov as the soloist works beautifully although,despite my status as a bland.middle-class house owner,I confess to wishing the flamenco gypsies could throw some of their Parisian finesse to the winds here and there.

William Bennett takes centre stage in Dovrak's Romance. The result is vintage Dovrak,with colour,charm,variety of texure and bold harmonies all present: an absolute delight.Butterworth's The Banks of Green Willow and Harty's In Ireland provide bucolic Anglo-Saxon and Cektic variety,complete with harp,and the collection ends with Kohler's well-known Valse des Fleurs,marred only by one or two awkward gear changes.A long way from the usual,or potential, ordeal by flute choir ,this disc is a feast of delights.

pan -the flute magazine: December 2008