Flight
Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble gathers its more virtuosic, lively and passionate repertoire under the idea of flight. Flight of the Bumble Bee and Le Streghe (The Witches) lead the way; the remaining works answer with energy and vitality that suggest flights of fancy.
Kurt Jensen solo mandolin
Juliette Maxwell solo accordion
Petra Laity solo flute
Louise Docherty solo guitar
Hermann Ambrosius composer
Ralph Paulsen-Bahnsen composer
Konrad Wölki composer
Peter Hoch composer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composer
Antonio Vivaldi composer
François Menichetti composer
Manos Hadjidakis composer
Mateo Albéniz composer
Helen Evans arranger
Karl Thomas arranger
Basil Hawkins arranger
Siegfried Behrend arranger
The programme spans more than four centuries, from Baroque Vivaldi through Classical Mateo Albéniz and the Romantic voices of Paganini and Rimsky-Korsakov to the twentieth century. Konrad Wölki (1904–1983) and Hermann Ambrosius (1897–1983) stand among the composers who shaped the mandolin-orchestra repertoire. Peter Hoch (b. 1937) and Ralph Paulsen-Bahnsen (b. 1954) supply rhythmic interest through displaced accents and changing metres. François Menichetti may be little known beyond the mandolin world, yet Hadjidakis’s Never on Sunday is a familiar favourite and sits well with the ensemble.
Solo mandolin: Kurt Jensen
Solo accordion: Juliette Maxwell
Solo flute: Petra Laity
Solo guitar: Louise Docherty
Artists

Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble
Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble is a Melbourne plucked-strings chamber orchestra of about twenty-four players. Formed in 1978, its members perform on mandolins, mandolas, guitars, mandocello, double bass and piano accordion.

Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) was an Italian Baroque composer, priest and virtuoso violinist. He is best known for his instrumental concertos, above all the violin cycle The Four Seasons.
Tracks
- Sonata in D Mateo Albéniz Arr: Helen Evans
- Le Streghe (The Witches) Niccolò Paganini Arr: Karl Thomas
- Präludium
- Menuett
- Sarabande
- Gavotte
- Badinerie
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Allegro
- Allegro moderato
- Rondo Scherzoso Konrad Wölki
- Baška Voda Peter Hoch
- Flight of the Bumble Bee Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Arr: Basil Hawkins
- Allegro
- Andante – Largo
- Allegro
- Serenade Espagnole François Menichetti
- Never on Sunday Manos Hadjidakis
Suite No. 6 Hermann Ambrosius
Jugoslavija Ralph Paulsen-Bahnsen
Guitar Concerto in D Antonio Vivaldi Arr: Siegfried Behrend
Performers
- Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble
- Kurt Jensen · solo mandolin
- Juliette Maxwell · solo accordion
- Petra Laity · solo flute
- Louise Docherty · solo guitar
Composers

Niccolò Paganini
Paganini's Caprices, variations and concert pieces expanded the violin's technical and colouristic range, from left-hand pizzicato and harmonics to theatrical showpieces such as Le Streghe. They still set the standard for virtuoso display.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote orchestral music steeped in Russian folk colour and fairy-tale narrative, with a gift for bright, precise orchestration. Short showpieces such as The Flight of the Bumble Bee and Song of India travel easily into arrangements for almost any instrument.
Manos Hadjidakis
Along with his contemporary Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis (1925-1994) is one of the most prominent Greek composers of the century.
Basil Hawkins
Basil Hawkins is an arranger and performer associated with Melbourne’s Concordia Mandolin and Guitar Ensemble, contributing to its recorded mandolin and guitar repertoire.
François Menichetti
François Menichetti is a French composer and mandolinist whose works for mandolin orchestra include Serenade Espagnole and Hungarian Journey.
Karl Thomas
Arranger whose mandolin-orchestra work appears on Australian recordings of Italian repertoire, virtuoso showpieces, and Christmas carols.
Konrad Wölki
Konrad Wölki (1904–1983) was a German composer, mandolinist and music educator whose works helped shape the modern repertoire for plucked-string orchestra. He wrote extensively for mandolin and guitar ensembles and published teaching methods and a history of the mandolin.
Where to listen
Flight is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- MCD 298
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Category
- Classical
- Genres
- Contemporary Classical, Baroque
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574029826
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