Reviews
CD Reviews
Fantasie
American Record Guide, May/June 2007
Fantasie
When this first arrived, I tossed it aside in the “blah” pile. I already own great recordings of all this music, so I was not motivated to hear it. That was a mistake. The playing is fabulous. Laurel Ann Maurer has dazzling technique and a gorgeous, rich tone, and Joanne Pearce Martin is an equal partner. All of the literature is standard. Serious flute students should be familiar with every piece. This would be a great reference for students; and anyone who enjoys great French music played with grace, dignity, and polish should find it.
Flute Talk October 2006
Fantasie
. . . This is an excellent recording and highly recommended. . . . Maurer's interpretation of the Francaix is stunning, and her use of color in the Hue is wonderful.
Kansas City Flute Association Newsletter, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, May 2006
Fantasie
This CD includes some of the substantial French works: Dutilleux's Sonatine, the Jolivet Chant de Linos, Roussels' Joueurs de Flûte, the Françaix Divertimento, Hüe's Fantaisie, and the flute and piano arrangement of Debussy's Prélude á l’aprés-midi d’un faune. Maurer is an exceptional player and presents very convincing, honest performances of these virtuosic works. Her tone colors are refreshingly varied, and this recording is, in a word, fabulous.
read the full newsletter; review is on page 8
Deseret News, May 26, 2006
CDs showcase talented Utahns (Fantasie)
LAUREL ANN MAURER is without question one of the most gifted and exceptional flutists today. Her playing is always filled with an exquisite expressiveness that is matched in her superb musicality and consummate virtuosity. . . .
The Hallelujah Tree
MusicWeb International, Sep. 5, 2005
The Hallelujah Tree
This is an adventurous and wide-ranging survey of works that owe their genesis to the very able soloist and are played by her with great finesse. I greatly enjoyed much of the Kupferman, the Chuaqui, one of the Perna Berceuse and the finale of the Manookian. . . .
Flute Talk, September 2005
The Hallelujah Tree
. . . The Kupferman work is harmonically lush, virtuosic, and beautifully performed. . . . Three Conversations Between Two Flutists is a demanding duet, well performed here by Maurer and Duffy; their tones, vibratos, and articulation lengths match so well that the result could have been that of overdubbing by one player. . . .
Manookian: Concertos
American Record Guide, November/December 2003
Manookian: Concertos
Jeff Manookian collects an impressive amount of awards and honors for his compositions. They have been performed by orchestras in the Americas and Europe. He also performs as a pianist and a conductor with orchestras around the world. He is a versatile musician, and this is reflected in the breadth of his compositions.
The concertos here are distinct. The piccolo concerto is bright and angular compared to the folk-inspired viola concerto, the lush two-piano concerto, or the moody alto flute piece. Maurer, a bright soloist, is an advocate of new flute music and has worked in collaboration with Manookian before. She works her way through piles of notes effortlessly and handles the piccolo quite well, never letting it sound shrill even in the high register. The recording quality for this concerto is noticeably lower than it is in the others.
The viola concerto, titled Improvisations on Armenian Folk Songs, is a melodic cadenza for the viola with light orchestral support and animated interjections that recall Bartok. Richards, a young virtuoso with a rich tone and an impressive flexibility of character in his playing, leads the orchestra through this extemporaneous piece.
Established soloists Duehlmeier and Gritton are also able to impart a fresh, improvised character into the more harmonic Two-Piano Concerto. The recital ends with a modal, meditative piece for alto flute with harp and strings called Khachkar. The orchestra struggles in complicated technical areas, but they do not lack spirit.
Angel Shadows
New Music Connoisseur, Vol 11, No. 2 (Summer 2003)
Angel Shadows: Laurel Ann Maurer
Flautist Laurel Ann Maurer performs well here, exhibiting a strong, full tone quality and good control in slow passages as well as able finger technique in most fast segments. . . .
American Record Guide, November/December 2002
". . . attractive energy. . . crisp technique. . . Maurer cares about these pieces and they really are a good match for her. This recital has a nice flow, and her Manookian and Wyner are fine first recordings." . . .
More American Flute Works
New Music Box, August 2002
More American Flute Works
When played by a wonderful interpreter like Laurel Ann Maurer, it becomes evident that this instrument has grown old gracefully. . . .
Legacy of the American Woman Composer
Deseret News, July 22, 2001
Legacy of the American Woman Composer: "Maurer exceptional flutist"
Laurel Ann Maurer is an exceptional flutist. Her playing is vibrant and exciting and full of energy and passion. Her musicality is unsurpassed, and her virtuosity is stunning. And her performances are marked with an engaging enthusiasm that is genial and appealing. . . .
Flute Talk, July 2001
Legacy of the American Woman Composer
. . . Most of these composers are not well known, but a few stand out as worthy of more attention, most notably Gwyneth Walker's folk-like "Theme and Variation", Claire Polin's "First Flute Sonata" and Libby Larsen's "Aubade". Jennifer Higdon's "Legacy" provides the most powerful vehicle for expression on this recording, a fact not lost on either performer.
O North Star
Flute Talk, July 2001
O North Star
. . . Flutists will probably be most intrigued by the "Dovely Duo" for flute and clarinet, which really does sound like two doves, and "Strata" for solo flute, written in memory of Samuel Baron. Maurer's control of the instrument in the performance of "Strata" is masterful.
Sonatas
Deseret News, Apr. 8, 2001
2 CDs are a joy to the ears (Sonatas)
Among the many talented musicians in Salt Lake City, flutist Laurel Ann Maurer is one of the most remarkable. She is an artist of rare musicality and stunning virtuosity. Her tone is supple and rich with expression, and her playing is marked by careful attention to details of phrasing and dynamics. And her performances are characterized by a vibrancy and energy that is appealing and welcome. . . .
Orchestral Music of Meyer Kupferman, Volume 11
Fanfare Magazine, Nov/Dec 1999
KUPFERMAN: Winter Symphony; Concerto Brevis
Commisioned by the National Flute Association's annual convention in 1997, with Laurel Ann Maurer as soloist, the Concerto Brevis is in one extended movement embracing a number of changing moods. Kupferman uses a large orchestra to paint a backdrop of iridescent tonal colors, with outbursts that erupt in the soloists silent moments. For the flute the music is usually hyperactive, and Maurer displays an extraordinary agility and virtuosity in her performance of it. . . .
American Flute Works
American Record Guide, 1996
American Flute Works
Maurer has a strong, colorful, full sound and a sure technique for the very demanding music on this recording. She maintains a high energy level and shows true dedication to the cause of new music. Through Maurer's playing is not as interesting and varied as Patricia Spenser (Neuma) or Manuela Wiesler (Bis), I am impressed with her virtuosity, her control of the high register, her flutter-tongue, and her clean articulation. Pianist Joanne Pearce Martin joins her in making the virtuosic ending of the Kupferman sonata very exciting.
Fanfare Magazine, Apr/May 1996
American Flute Works
This impressively performed recital of American flute music from the second half of the century demonstrates a number of different and significant compositional trends. On the conservative side, Copland's lovely duo of the early 70s stylistically recalls his popular works of the 1940s, especially Appalachian Spring. The Barber Canzone, which concludes the disc, is based on a haunting tune used a number of times by the composer, most notablv in the slow movement of the Piano Concerto. Robert Muczynski's four-movement sonata is a thoroughly neoclassical work with memorable ideas, bouncv rhythms, and a wonderfully virtuosic finale. On the slightly less approachable side, the recital includes Meyer Kupferman's large-scale Chaconne Sonata from 1993. As with most of the composer's work, a dissonant chromatic language reigns throughout the work, but the composer's impressive craftsmanship and invention are also abundant.
The works by Joan Tower and Leo Kraft, although short, present the greatest challenges to the listener. Tower's 1972 work for solo flute is, like other solo flute works from the 60s and 70s, angular, austere, and a bit forbidding. Kraft's work uses aleatoric elements, and despite some rather interesting interplay between the piano and flute, deals in gestures which may have once seemed fresh but now seem somewhat overly familiar. Both of these works and, to some extent, Kupferman's sonata make me wish fluttertonguing had never been invented.
This is not to say that Maurer's fluttertonguing technique is lacking. In fact, she is technically superb in every way. Her tone is consistently attractive even in the most treacherous passages, and she plays with great rhythmic drive and impeccable phrasing. The piano writing in this music is as challenging as that of the flute, and Joanne Pearce Martin is very impressive throughout the recital. The sound is very good, although like most flute recordings, a bit unnaturally reverberant. Unlike most flute recordings, however, a microphone does not seem to have been placed inside the flute; the instrument's distance is welcome, and the tapping of the keys and the gasps for breath that so often accompany recorded recitals are not missed at all. This is a very interesting program, played with extraordinary skill by two expert musicians.
Performance Reviews
2006
Deseret News, Oct. 27, 2006
'First' concert is musician's last
The Contemporary Music Consortium opens its new season Thursday in its home in the First Unitarian Church as part of the church's "First Thursdays at the First" series. The concert, which includes several local premieres, will mark the end of one era and the start of another. For longtime CMC director Laurel Ann Maurer, the concert will be her last, as she will be leaving Utah shortly to relocate in another state. . . .
Deseret News, Apr. 24, 2006
Symphony conductor sparkles
The symphony's principal flute, Laurel Ann Maurer, was Saturday's soloist, playing Dana Paul Perna's "songe de voix perdues" ("dream of the forgotten voices"), for flute and strings, in its American premiere. . . . Maurer's beautiful tone and poetic playing brought a textured eloquence to the piece to Perna's overwhelmingly expressive and evocative piece. . . .
Deseret News, Jan. 9, 2006
Flutist is a poet of her instrument
In her playing, Maurer combines extraordinary technique with magnificent musicianship. And no matter what she plays — whether it's music from the 18th or the 21st centuries, whether it's delicately lyrical or fiendishly virtuosic — she performs it with a self-assuredness that impresses the listener with its eloquence. Maurer is a veritable poet of her instrument. . . .
Deseret News, Jan. 6, 2006
Consortium is lyrical and expressive
Larson's "Barn Dances" is a gregarious, uninhibited piece that contains plenty of homespun humor. Maurer, Jensen and Harlow gave a stunning performance that captured the uniqueness of the four-movement work. . . .
2005
Deseret News, Nov. 5, 2005
Modern music pervades at CMC concert
. . . Maurer and Moss gave a performance that was anything but dull. They brought life to [Carson P. Cooman's Sonata for Flute and Piano] in their vibrant and dynamic interpretation. Maurer and Moss are wonderful collaborators. Her luminous playing and his perceptiveness complement each other superbly. . . . There was one other piece by Cooman on the program, his "Distant Glittering Orbs" for alto flute, which he dedicated to Maurer. She played the evocative piece with wondrous expressiveness, feeling and seamless phrasings. . . .
Deseret News, Mar. 8, 2005
Concert devoted to music by women
. . . The musical side of the program began with Maurer playing Katherine Hoover's "Kokopelli" for solo flute. The evocative piece creates images of American Indians in its soundscape. And Maurer's lyrical playing captured the mysteriously otherworldly character.
The next piece, Judith Shatin's "Coursing Through the Still Green," continued the mood set forth in Hoover's work. Once again playing unaccompanied, Maurer captured the seamless lyricism of Shatin's piece with unerring perceptiveness and clarity.
Maurer played two other solo pieces, this time for alto flute — Marilyn Bliss' "Lament" and Ann Hankinson's "Soaring," which was written for her and received its world premiere Sunday. In both, Maurer was accompanied by dancer Ai Fujii from the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. The anguished and intense "Lament" is musically and visually quite striking. Intended to be performed with a dancer, the work's fluid phrases were mimicked in Fujii's gracefully choreographed lines.
"Soaring" is a sensual work, one that is both evocative and provocative. Maurer and Fujii capably captured the long fluid lines with their thoughtful interpretation. . . .
Deseret News, Jan. 25, 2005
Consortium shows off local talent
. . . "Gabriel's Wing," for flute and piano, was written by Judith Shatin. Jensen and Maurer gave a stunning performance of this virtuosic piece that captured the richness of the music with its imaginative use of overtones. . . .
2004
Deseret News, Nov. 9, 2004
CMC season opener compelling, dynamic
Playing a wide array of contemporary and older (mid-20th century) music, the Contemporary Music Consortium helps fill a void in the local music scene. . . . The second half of the concert contained the two works that were the most imaginative and ingenious on the program, beginning with the Zorf [Anthony Zorf's Six Miniatures for Flute and Piano (1997)]. Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer and pianist Jeffrey Price gave a stunning performance that captured the unique character and flavor or each of these six brief movements. . . . The first half of the concert opened with Meyer Kupferman's dazzling "Short Shrift" for Piccolo and Clarinet (1971). Maurer and Russell Harlow played it with a lightness that underscored the music's brilliance and suppleness. . . .
Deseret News, Aug. 10, 2004
Soloists' virtuosity reigns at festival
. . . Local flutist Maurer has been a prominent member of the artist roster of the Park City festival for years, and it's always been a particular pleasure whenever she's featured at one of the festival's concerts. Maurer is an exceptional flutist whose playing is noted for its musicality and virtuosity, both of which were on display last weekend.
Maurer, partnered by Jensen, played a set of three pieces for flute and piano by Enesco ("Cantabile et Presto"), Faure ("Fantasy," op. 79) and Philippe Gaubert ("Fantasy"). These pieces deftly showcased her talent as they explored the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument. . . .
2002
Deseret News, Oct. 27, 2002
CMC paints in broad strokes with contemporary music
. . . Maurer and her colleagues at CMC are passionate about contemporary music. They want audiences to be exposed to newer works, and they want to give composers a forum where their music can be performed.
"I believe in new music. And I support the continuation of the creation of art, otherwise it'll stagnate and possibly die. We need to cultivate new music."
2001
Deseret News, May 14, 2001
4 Utah composers' works stand out
. . . Funicelli's "Principia" is an ambitious work in four movements for solo flute. It was played beautifully by Laurel Ann Maurer. In this lengthy piece, Maurer had the opportunity to exhibit her musical and technical skills to the fullest. . . .
Deseret News, Sep. 30, 2001
Utahns' Concerto opens season
. . . Appropriately, flautist Laurel Ann Maurer will be the featured soloist for the [Manookian Flute] concerto. Caswell said that in addition to the fact that Maurer is a "flute player par excellence," she also dedicates her career to creating and performing contemporary music. "She is really committed to the progress of musicmaking," Caswell noted. "She plays everything, but she has a real understanding for 20th-century music, it's inner-workings, its voice, and its song. She understands the language of many, many composers and really works to get their music played."
2000
Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 30, 2000
Consortium Captures Essence of Crumb
The pinnacle of the program was "Vox Balaenae" (Voice of the Whale), one of Crumb's masterworks. Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer, cellist Gayle Smith and pianist Jeffrey Price gave a definitive reading of this intriguing work. This was Crumb with conviction. Smith and Maurer not only had to play their instruments in every pyrotechnical way, they had to sing and whistle too. . . .
Salt Lake Tribune, May 8, 2000
Maurer's Flute Strikes Gold in Concert Featuring Music by American Women
Laurel Ann Maurer indubitably ranks among this country's "creme de la creme" of flute talents. Her current and laudable mission is to promote the creations of America's composers who are currently writing for the flute. . . Maurer and Martin were consistently stellar throughout the concert. From Jennifer Higdon's peaceful ballad, "Legacy" to the well-known composer Joan Tower's vibrant "Hexachords," the audience heard flute and piano playing that would be difficult to top on any world stage. . . .
Deseret News, Feb. 20, 2000
Virtuoso turns S.L. concert into paradise for flute lovers: Maurer shows she's a true poet of her instrument
Maurer is an exquisite artist. She plays with a musicality that's sorely missed in many other performers. She skillfully integrates virtuosity into the musical fabric of the works she plays. She is a true poet of her instrument. . . .
Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 24, 2000
Utah Composers Take Center Stage at Music Consortium Concert
Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer was brilliant playing all three flutes (one at a time, of course) on the Rosenzweig opus. She was similarly brilliant playing just the alto flute on Price's haunting "Night Dance" -- on which the composer acted as pianist. . . .
1999
Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 8, 1999
All Saints Chamber Orchestra Vivifies Vivaldi
. . . The venerable Laurel Ann Maurer got to present her multiple talents as a flutist and piccoloist. The crowd was understandably dazzled at Maurer's acrobatics in Vivaldi's Piccolo Concerto. Not only did she present some staggering pyrotechnics with this most treble of all instruments, she showed that this tiny cousin of the flute is capable of sublime singing qualities.
As a flutist, Maurer got the audience to proverbially say "viva Gluck" and "viva Maurer" as this solo musician brilliantly played Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from "Orpheus." There was something magical during this composition's presentation. . . .
Deseret News, Dec. 6, 1999
Rosenberg summons new life out of Viva Vivaldi concertos
. . . Flutist Laurel Ann Maurer was the soloist in the Gluck piece [Dance of the Blessed Spirits], and she and the orchestra were wonderful. Rosenberg took this delightful piece at a leisurely tempo that made the music all the more poignant. It was a memorable performance.
Maurer was also the soloist in Vivaldi's Concerto for Piccolo and Strings in C major. Maurer was able to showcase her virtuosity here, and she was terrific. Maurer is an exceptionally talented musician, and she gave an electrifying performance of this somewhat unusual yet very melodic concerto.
Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 8, 1999
Audience Not Left Wanting At CMC's Season Opener
. . . The first concert of the CMC's 14th season featured the inimitable instrumental talents of flutist Laurel Ann Maurer, clarinetist Russell Harlow, violist Leslie Harlow and pianist Jeffrey Price. In celebration of Austrian/American composer Ernst Krenek's 100th birthday (the composer died in 1991), Maurer and Russell Harlow were second to none with the composer's "Sonatina for Flute and Clarinet." The same duo rendered Meyer Kupferman's "Four Constellations." Maurer and Harlow were equally stunning on both works. The serial compositional techniques employed by these composers were pleasantly audience friendly. . . .
Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 16, 1999
Surprise Conductor Thrills Park City Festival Musicians
. . . Maurer immediately went for the heart-strings in the Bloch [Suite Modale] work. She capitalized on the plethora of lyricism the composer penned into the score to captivate her audience's fantasy. This consummate flutist juiced every note out of the multimovement opus for its maximum effect. Maurer showed herself to be a superb technician and artist as she facilitated the composition's diverse challenges. . . .
Deseret News, Jan. 17, 1999
Maurer's flute creates musical poetry
Few flutists can match the virtuosity, musicality and sheer talent of Laurel Ann Maurer. Not only is she a first-rate flutist, but she also can transform whatever she plays into poetry of the utmost beauty.
In her recital Saturday, Maurer was accompanied by Dian Baker, who is an outstanding pianist and an excellent accompanist. Throughout the recital she offered a subtle background to Maurer's playing, never intruding but nevertheless giving her part a strong personality.
Two large works were on the program. In the first half Maurer played Prokofiev's Sonata, op. 94. This work is written on a large scale, with the thematic material in each movement developed at some length. The sonata also has all the elements that characterize Prokofiev's music. The melodies are at times very romantic and at times very modern and disjointed, stretching over several octaves. There are some sharp contrasts in emotions, too: The music, for example, shifts from the dramatic to the boisterous to the serene.
Of the four movements in the Prokofiev, the finale is reminiscent of Haydn in its melodic structure, in the accompaniment -- with its repeated staccato notes -- and in the harmony. This is Prokofiev parodying his own "Classical Symphony."
In the second half, Maurer played a transcription for flute and piano of Debussy's "Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune." Maurer's lush flute tones were seductive here; they clung to the listener and enticed him into the exotic tonal landscape that Debussy created.
A fairly new piece was also on the program, Elliot Carter's "Scrivo in Vento" ("Write on the Wind") for solo flute (1991). The piece is intended as a musical translation of a poem by Petrach. The work utilizes the entire range of the instrument and incorporates several special effects. There are also numerous abrupt changes in dynamics and many wide leaps from the flute's lowest to its highest registers.
Maurer opened her recital with a piece by C.P.E. Bach, the "Hamburg" Sonata in G Major. The work is from the mid-1700s and reflects the style that was popular then. The music is galant and mannered to the point of being stylized. But Maurer played this music with a good deal of grace and charm.
A work from the 19th century by a now-forgotten composer was also on the concert: Theobald Boehm's "Grand Polonaise," op. 16. This is a virtuosic piece for the flutist that gave Maurer ample opportunities to show off her incredible talent.
Maurer ended the program with an encore: a lovely transcription for flute and piano of Debussy's "Claire de lune." And this piece became the perfect ending to a superb evening of music.
1998
Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 27, 1998
Classical Gas: The Year's Top Concerts
. . . Laurel Ann Maurer, flutist, with pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and clarinetist Russell Harlow, April 7, Jewett Center for the Performing Arts: This Utah Arts Council-sponsored event, featuring compositions by Meyer Kupferman, was a knock-your-socks-off performance. This triad of performers proved to be consummate virtuosos in extremely difficult repertoire. . . .
Deseret News, Aug. 31, 1998
Fabulous music was plentiful; audience wasn't
. . . Francaix's "Le Colloque des deux Perruches" ("The Conversation of Two Parakeets"), played by flutists Maurer and Toone, is a humorous, flighty (think parakeet) and also tenderly lyrical work. The six brief movements here are just plain delightful. Maurer and Toone sounded great in this piece.
Martinu's Trio for Flute, Viola and Piano ended this superb concert. Price and Maurer were here joined by violist Leslie Harlow. These three were wonderful in bringing out the colorful nature of this music, which at times was carefree, playful, moody but always melodic.
Salt Lake Tribune, Apr. 10, 1998
Utah Arts Council Presents an Epic Evening of Music
From initial articulation of the first note, the sizable crowd in the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts Auditorium quickly perceived this would be a feast of great music played greatly.
In a Utah Arts Council-sponsored event Tuesday evening -- event is indeed the operative word -- New York-based composer Meyer Kupferman and Utah flutist Laurel Ann Maurer (who hails from the "Big Apple") presented a unique lecture/concert taking their audience through a journey of the artistic creation -- from nothing to finished product.
Ardean Watts, former head of the Utah Arts Council, eloquently introduced the recital by letting us know this was "not like a normal concert," even though "more or less normal people perform." Watts hit the nail square on the head. The magnitude of talent was unbelievable. The venerable pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and consummate clarinetist Russell Harlow collaborated with Maurer to raise this all-Kupferman program to even a more extraterrestrial apex.
The epic "Chaconne Sonata" for flute and piano put the performers' technical and musical prowess to the ultimate test. The composer said he "didn't expect anybody could play this composition, due to its extreme difficulties." Maurer and Martin did play it. And boy, did they play it! Their jaw-dropping, goosebump-inducing exhibition took audience amazement to a new level.
Those who fear contemporary music -- and with some of this century's products, this fear is justified -- found Kupferman's creative output contagiously accessible without any artistic compromise from the composer. Yes, there is a dab of blatant serialism, but Kupferman's harmonic language can best be described with colors over any stodgy analytical jargon.
For solo flute alone, "Strata" didn't have the billions of notes that the previous piece had. But the composer and flutist were in concordance that this atmospheric "journey to the stars" was the most difficult work to play on this already demanding program. A truly evocative composition, "Strata" goes right to the marrow of emotion and becomes a sublime expression of the soul. Maurer magnificently imbued the work with ingenious insight to match the composer's inspiration nuance by nuance.
The world premiere of "O North Star" concluded this awesome concert. Mimicking oceanic moods with the stars overhead, "O North Star" took everyone off guard with its masterful writing, beauty and the stellar performance by Maurer (playing flute, piccolo and alto flute), Harlow (on clarinet, E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet) and pianist Martin.
This was a knock-your-socks-off performance. These players were expertly able to traverse the physically exhausting demands Kupferman dished up in wholesale quantities and involve their listeners on a grand musical journey. Kupferman's cup overflowed with "O North Star." This composition is destined to occupy a distinguished spot in the performing repertoire -- but should only be championed by true virtuosos, which Maurer, Martin and Harlow truly are.
1997
Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 21, 1997
The Year in Arts: Utah Musicians Hit Hight Notes
Laurel Ann Maurer: The Utah-based concert flutist's June recital in the Assembly Hall, with pianist Mark Neiwirth, was as if an angel had descended from the heavens to favor us with her celestial charms. She is a consummate musician. . . .
Deseret News, Nov. 22, 1997
S.L. Symphony's season gets off to delightful start
The second piece on the program was Leonard Bernstein's "Halil Nocturne" for Solo Flute, Percussion and Strings, from the 1970s. The symphony's principal flutist, Laurel Ann Maurer, was soloist. She is an outstanding flutist, very expressive and also very dramatic when the music demands it. She performed this work as if it had been written for her, with a total command of the music. Caswell also did an outstanding job supporting her, never letting the orchestra drown her out. . . .
Salt Lake Tribune, June 6, 1997
A Fabulous Evening of Flute and Piano
Laurel Ann Maurer confirmed her status as one of Utah's formidable flute talents Saturday as part of the Temple Square Concert Series in the Assembly Hall.
Maurer's near-perfect recital had flutists and non-flutists in awe of her abilities. Idaho-based Mark Neiwirth accompanied her on piano. Neiwirth provided Maurer and the large audience with pianism and scholarly musicianship. Neiwirth's fingers revealed a secure technique as he traversed the varied program.
The mostly 20th-century American recital captivated from note one to note last. The repertoire presented a well-balanced program - a rare feat among performers nowadays.
One would be hard pressed to choose the centerpiece of the program. But the work that seemed to be the most musically and technically involved (as well as the one receiving the heartiest ovation from the audience) was Arizona-based Robert Muczynski's "Moments." The title is a bit deceiving. The three-movement work was complete enough to become a full-fledged sonata.
"Moments" presented flutist and pianist in some delightful counterpoint. This captivating interplay was well thought out and coupled with superlative instrumental balance between the duo.
Idaho composer Thom Ritter George's "Six American Folk Songs" was given an authoritative reading by Maurer and Neiwirth. These generous slices of Americana - à la Aaron Copland were pure entertainment.
The Ravelian Sonatina by Eldin Burton was felicitous in composition and performance. This composition, as with the Muczynski, made considerable demands on the instrumentalists, and they met the demands with ease.
Bach's Sonata in C and the Nocturne and Allegro Scherzando by Philippe Gaubert were the noncontemporary and non-American works. Nonetheless, these two aural jewels fit in nicely.
Maurer and Neiwirth placed a nice exclamation point on their recital with the encore, Saint-Saens' "The Swan."
1994
The New York Times, Apr. 30, 1994
Laurel Ann Maurer Flutist Weill Recital Hall
Ms. Maurer, a secure technician and an assured, communicative interpreter, began with Copland's manifesto, lingering gracefully over the composer's 1940's-style melodies, but also turning up the current in the athletic, rhythmically varied finale. . . .