Ana de la Vega & Paul Rivinius, My Paris Review

Flautist Ana de la Vega is releasing her fourth Pentatone records album with the title of My Paris, which is a declaration of love to the glorious French capital and its rich flute history, as well as a trip down memory lane, featuring some of the most incredible gems of French music history. The nineteen tracks include works by Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Massenet, Saint-Saëns, Satie, Poulenc, Mozart, Chaminade, Lili Boulanger, Von Paradis, and Bizet. Her warm verve and charm highlight de la Vega’s deep connection and reverence to the centuries-old French flute-teaching traditions. She performs them together with the esteemed pianist Paul Rivinius, making his PENTATONE debut. My Paris is proceeded by Bach Unbuttoned (2021), Haydn Stamitz (2020), and Mozart Mysliveček (2018).

De la Vega immersed herself into the energy of Paris, living and studying in the city for six years, and the city’s energy permeates the recording. Violin Sonata in E Minor, K. 304/300c is one of Mozart’s few minor-key sonatas. Here de la Vega’s version for flute and piano brings out the beauty and tragedy of this period in Mozart’s life. De la Vega and Rivinius create a graceful swing as they perform the first movement with gusto and technical flawlessness. De la Vega also presents several well-known staples of the flute repertoire, Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue, L. 57: “I. Prélude” and Suite bergamasque, L. 75: “III. Clair de lune,” along with Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1. All these selections highlight de la Vega’s expressive delivery, the particular warm nature of her tone, and the judicious placement of vibrato. Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano is a staple in twentieth-century flute literature. All three movements find de la Vega expressing control of color as she conveys a focused warmth, sincerity, and strength that brings each melody to life. Overall, My Paris is a beautiful collection of compositions performed by two like-minded musicians that offer an exceptional listening experience and interpretations of repertoire that should be heard–and heard again. That’s the short of it!

Connect with Ana de la Vega: Website |