The Cavatina Duo, “excellent instrumentalists and sensitive musicians” (Sequenza21.com), has captivated concert audiences worldwide with their enchanting blend of Spanish passion and Balkan sensibility.

 

On The Balkan Project, their second and newest Cedille Records album, Spanish-born flutist Eugenia Moliner and Bosnian-born guitarist Denis Azabagic expand the boundaries of flute and guitar music with a program of more than a dozen works inspired by traditional Balkan folk songs and dances. Nine of the compositions were commissioned by and dedicated to the Cavatina Duo and are world-premiere recordings.

 

Looking at the culturally rich crossroads of civilization that are the Balkans, ten contemporary composers have chosen, as their points of departure, music from Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Bugaria, and Croatia reflecting the region’s distinctive harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic signatures.

 

“Each piece goes far beyond mere quotation of a melody or a form to reveal the true essence of the source material,” writes Bosnian composer Vojislav Ivanovic in the CD booklet notes. “All the works on this disc also beautifully exploit the timbres and technical possibilities of the guitar and flute to provide a vehicle for the extraordinary artistry of Denis and Eugenia.”

 

The Cavatina was the first flute and guitar duo to grace the cover of England’s Classic Guitar magazine and has been featured in Guitarra Magazine on the Web, in Soundboard magazine in the U.S., and elsewhere.

 

In a review of the ensemble’s Cedille Records debut, Acrobats: Music of David Leisner, American Record Guide said, “The playing is spectacular!” Fanfare magazine echoed that assessment: “it’s doubtful that the Cavatina’s sophisticated and artistic playing could be surpassed.” Pan, the British Flute Society magazine, praised Moliner as “an excellent, exciting and imaginative flute player” and said Azabagic “plays with both great virtuosity and sensitivity.”