Flute and harp: a classic(al) combination loved by many, and often recorded. Our spotlight shines on Hypnosis, a new CD on the Albany label with flutist Don Bailey and harpist Laura Logan Brandenburg. Bailey has had a multifaceted career, working as a music professor, a touring musician, a not-for-profit administrator, a flutist for a cruise line, a mentor for youth orchestras, and as the archivist for Gian Carlo Menotti.
Like Bailey, Brandenburg has been active as a teacher, working as a camp clinician specializing in harp ensemble, and freelancing. She is, says Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Principal Harpist Grace Browning Krug, “a consummate artist, the epitome of professionalism, and an incredibly gifted pedagogue.”
Bailey and Brandenburg, who have been performing together since 2017, have just released this sparkling CD, filled with charming miniatures by Ibert, Godard, Rutter, Larson and more, alongside two more substantial works: “Garden of Adonis” by Alan Hovhaness and “Seasons” by Herman Beeftink. The end result is an entrancing album that will stay with you long after the last note has died away.
