Louisa Theart - Flute    ||     Nicholas Haralambous - Piano

​

​The Cape Town-based Aquila Duo aims to champion lesser-known composers as well as shed new light on staples of the Western art music canon. Experienced soloists and chamber musicians, both Louisa and Nicholas are passionate about the curatorial possibilities of the traditional recital programme and the various narratives which the considered juxtaposition of musical works can highlight. Aquila is the 22nd largest constellation in the nightsky, a number which the musicians found fitting to name a duo. 

Repertoire

Echoes of Arcadia
 
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune                                            Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
                                                                                                                         [flute/piano, 9’]
Joueurs de Flute, Op. 27                                                              Albert Roussel (1869–1937)
       [flute/piano, 9’30’’]
Pan en die Nagtegaal                                                                 Stefans Grové (1922–2014)
                                                                                                                         [solo flute, 3’30’’]
“Ondine” from Gaspard de la nuit                                             Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
                                                                                                                    [solo piano, 7’30’’]
Sonata Undine, Op. 167                                                               Carl Reinecke (1824–1910)
                                                                                                                       [flute/piano, 20’]

Since antiquity, Western culture has been preoccupied with the mythical realm of Arcadia, home to the god Pan and his court. Symbolizing pastoral simplicity and communion with the natural world, Arcadian ideals have echoed through the centuries. This programme traces how such notions inspired five 19th- and 20th-century composers, focussing on two inhabitants of the mythological kingdom: Pan, the satyr god of the wild, and Undine, a water nymph. Encompassing a wide range of musical styles, this programme aims to bring these mythological figures to life.