Rampal Concedes Nothing to Age

Jean-Pierre Rampal, 74, walked haltingly onto the stage of the Orange County Performing Arts Center Sunday afternoon, still recovering from recent knee surgery. He sat, instead of standing as in the past, to play for an audience of more than 2,000. Otherwise, the French flutist relinquished nothing to age or physical discomfort.

Instead, Rampal delivered his familiar but still unique brand of urbanity and ardor. Well-partnered by his accompanist of more than two decades--John Steele Ritter--Rampal offered tried-and-true repertory. Two works, the sonatas for flute and piano by Czech composer Jindrich Feld and by Francis Poulenc, bear the name Rampal on their 1957 dedications and, though he has played them for almost four decades, his interpretations still seemed fresh and full of passionate involvement.

The fast portions of Feld’s work flew by with rhythmic propulsion and unfailing regard for nuance. The musicians painted a mournful slow movement, marked by a tortured and turning melody made more poignant by the flutist’s wash of colors. Poulenc’s Sonata was also deeply affecting, with fluid, seamless phrasing in the Cantilena and an urgent, surging Allegro.

Franck’s Sonata in A, originally for violin and piano, closed the planned program. Flute and piano normally strike this listener as weaker choices than the intended instrumentation. Nevertheless, Rampal and Ritter gave a fiery and gripping account. A suave, stylish reading of Czerny’s Duo Concertante, Opus 129, had opened the recital, which was sponsored by the Philharmonic Society. The two finished with encores by Ravel, Joplin and Gluck.