An album of light chamber music, this 2004 release features five works for the bland but agreeable combination of flute, viola, and harp, played with gentle grace and tender lyrical expression by the popular Canadian ensemble
Trio Lyra. Flutist
Suzanne Shulmann, violist Mark Childs, and harpist
Erica Goodman deliver good-natured if innocuous arrangements of César Cui's Five Pieces, Op. 56, Jacques Ibert's Deux Interludes, and
Mozart's "Trio Sonata" (originally, the Duo No. 1 for violin and viola in G major, K. 423), and two contemporary tonal works composed specifically for this instrumental combination, the Latin-flavored Tango 99 by Milton Barnes and the poignant Goodbye My Friend by Marjan Mozetich. This pleasant CD -- the group's first on Marquis -- is a good choice for background music for dining or for parties, and it has a mildly uplifting quality suitable for relaxation and quiet pastimes. The sound quality is decent, though a bit uneven and poorly focused;
Shulmann's flute and
Goodman's harp are always clear, but Childs' viola sometimes seems muted and hazy, even in these transparent textures.