Reviews

“A remarkable fusion of artistic mastery.”
—The Flute View

“Zhou Tian’s Flute Concerto, written for and premiered by Mimi Stillman, is a beautiful painting in four scenes. The first movement, Irises, opens with rich strings and a singing, colorful flute melody. Stillman manages to remarkably imitate the dizi (a Chinese bamboo flute) with a ringing, agile sound. She pierces through the orchestra despite having to compete with an accompaniment that is anything but sparse. There is quiet intensity to the vibrato in Stillman’s sound that captures the listener’s imagination. Irises is the longest individual movement, coming in at around nine minutes, but not a single note could be sacrificed, and the lush sounds that remind one of Ravel could go on even longer.

The second movement, Capriccio, takes the soothing mystery of Irises and turns it completely around. The rhythmic energy is bold, and Stillman performs with a brilliant sense of urgency with clear, rapid articulations and flawless technique. The rhythm is the driving force in this short, fiery movement, and the punctuations of the orchestral accompaniments add a satisfying rhythmic pulse that match the energy of the flute line.

Arioso explores a calmer side of the flute. In this third movement, the orchestral is often ethereal, while the flute sings above it, serving as a siren to draw in the listener. The beauty of harmonic color is explored while slowly leading to a climax that quickly dissipates. The ending is unsettling and yet hopeful, leading the audience to need the resolution of the final movement, Toccata, which brings one final burst of energy to the end of the concerto. The playful rhythms, jubilation, and occasional dissonances are enough to remind one of Taktakishvili’s Flute Sonata (Movement III). At times the call and response between orchestra and flute feel like a battle between old and new tonalities, or at least a trading of ideas as Zhou Tian combines his influences and multilingual musical expressions into one experience.

This concerto is a welcome addition to the flute repertory, which often feels limited in concerto choices or at least certainly limited in the concertos presented to audiences. Coming in at a little over 22 minutes in four movements, the pacing is well-timed to maintain audience engagement. Casual and professional audiences alike will appreciate the beauty of the musical lines, while flutists are guaranteed to love exploring the color possibilities a performer can use to present this concerto. Mimi Stillman’s performance is a compelling premiere that highlights her versatility of sound throughout the range of the flute and is sure to inspire any who listen. This concerto and the performance of Mimi Stillman and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra is a joyful triumph.” 
—The Flutist Quarterly, National Flute Association

“The evening’s centerpiece was Zhou Tian’s Flute Concerto, which he wrote for Stillman. Stillman is a multifaceted, award-winning flutist who is also the founding artistic director of the Dolce Suono Ensemble and a faculty member at Temple University in Philadelphia. She spoke briefly about the piece, explaining that Zhou’s writing reflects on the flute tradition in various cultures, such as the Baroque, as well as French, American and Chinese cultures.

Zhou’s gift for melody was apparent from the first movement, entitled ‘Irises.’ This was the lengthiest movement, opening with an impressionistic-like canvas of lush orchestral sounds and floating themes for the flute, followed by a section of nonstop virtuosities. The bright orchestral colors included the glimmering sounds of harp, glockenspiel, vibraphone and xylophone.

But above all, the concerto was a real showpiece for this flutist, who soared effortlessly through its wide-ranging melodies, runs and trills. The second movement, ‘Capriccio,’ was a scherzo, with syncopated, slightly jazzy rhythms. Stillman’s phrases on flute were echoed in trumpet, a vibrant touch.

Stillman played with mesmerizing artistry in the slow movement, ‘Arioso,’ offering a breathtaking display of arpeggios and communicating with beautiful tone. The movement built to a sumptuous climax. The finale, a ‘Toccata,’ was vibrant and driving.”
—Cincinnati Business Courier