In 1975, flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal confided in French composer Claude Bolling: he longed to play jazz, yet his training was strictly classical. From this desire, the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio was born (nominated for a Grammy in the same year), a brilliant fusion of Baroque and jazz. The piece combines increasingly free-flowing classical writing for the flute with a jazz trio featuring piano, double bass, and drums. The musicians of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, also rooted in classical training, demonstrate that these two genres are not as distant as they might seem.
SIXE Quartet
Andrea Oliva, flute
Roberto Arosio, piano
Anita Mazzantini, double bass
Andrea Santarsiere, drums
musicians of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Claude Bolling
Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio n. 1
Baroque and Blue
Sentimentale
Javanaise
Fugace
Irlandaise
Veloce
Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio n. 2
Espiegle
Amoureuse
Entr’amis
Vagabonde
Intime
Jazzy
INFORMATION
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A singular figure in the musical landscape of the twentieth century, Claude Bolling can rightfully be regarded as the pioneer of the genre now known as “crossover”—a style that draws from diverse musical traditions to transcend specific stylistic boundaries and resist confinement within any one expressive domain.
The two Suites we will hear today represent the pinnacle of Bolling’s creative journey. Born in Cannes in 1930, Bolling began studying music at the age of twelve, and by fifteen he was already performing as a jazz pianist in various clubs. At an early age, he began collaborating with internationally renowned jazz musicians, including none other than Duke Ellington.
Bolling’s compositional style, exemplified in these Suites, unfolds on two expressive levels. On one hand, the classically trained soloist is given a part rich in historical musical references, blending Baroque and Classical elements and allowing the instrument—in this case, the flute—to express itself in its full idiomatic character. On the other hand, the jazz trio, composed of piano, double bass, and drums, engages in a contrapuntal interaction rooted unmistakably in jazz idioms.
This distinctive expressive signature actually emerged by chance in 1970, when Bolling was invited to perform on a television program. A devoted jazzman, he improvised at the piano alongside classically trained pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier. The performance was a resounding success and sparked immediate interest among other classical musicians. Bolling soon received commissions for new works that would bring together classical and jazz performers. Chief among these were the celebrated French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal and guitarist Alexandre Lagoya, who both asked Bolling to create pieces that would preserve a classical line for the soloist while allowing the trio to respond in a jazz vernacular.
Suite No. 1 was composed for Rampal and consists of seven movements, all shaped by this fascinating dual trajectory: classical and jazz music confronting, intertwining, and ultimately merging with one another. Its success was immediate and extraordinary; the recording soared in the United States, remaining in the Top 40 for an impressive two years.
Each of the seven movements conjures a distinct atmosphere, alternating gracefully between contrasting moods and styles—from lyrical and evocative (as in Baroque and Blue, Sentimentale, or Javanaise, the latter alluding both to a Parisian dance and to a dialect slang known as “javanais”) to the boldly rhythmic and energetic, such as the final movement, Veloce.
Suite No. 1 for Flute and Jazz Trio epitomizes the compositional language Bolling invented. The flute part is highly virtuosic and steeped in the instrument’s historical repertoire, particularly that of the eighteenth century—its “golden age”—with stylistic nods to the Baroque and Classical eras. The jazz trio enters not as mere accompaniment but as an equal partner, offering dynamic counterpoint and breaking into full-fledged jazz improvisation.
This fusion is not merely acoustic but conceptual: two seemingly distant and even opposing worlds blend into a unified whole, each preserving its own identity. The result is an ambivalent and extraordinarily effective musical structure—a kind of “jam session” guided by a precise and coherent compositional design.
A decade later, once again at the behest of Jean-Pierre Rampal, Bolling composed Suite No. 2 for the same ensemble that had ensured the first suite’s success: flute and jazz trio. In today’s performance, we will hear six of the original eight movements, significantly reducing the suite’s full duration, which otherwise runs to about 50 minutes.
Though still charming and instantly engaging—with the flute once again reaching dazzling levels of virtuosity—Suite No. 2 is generally seen as less successful than its predecessor. Nonetheless, the allure and novelty of Bolling’s crossover idiom continue to captivate, delight, and win over audiences to this day.
At the time of their release, these works were met with considerable critical resistance, especially from the classical establishment, which initially withheld full recognition of Bolling’s accomplishments. This skepticism also limited their dissemination, effectively excluding them from the traditional concert repertoire.
But times have changed. Today, free from such prejudices, we can approach these brilliant pages—so full of intelligence, imagination, and taste—and fully appreciate the inventive spirit and originality of Claude Bolling’s Suites.
Umberto Nicoletti Altimari
Andrea Oliva has been Principal Flute of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2003. In 2005, he made history as the first Italian flutist to win First Prize at the prestigious Kobe International Competitionand also secured Third Prize at the ARD Competition in Munich. These achievements marked the beginning of a distinguished career that has led him to perform on the world’s most renowned concert stages and festivals. Oliva has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (Hamburg), Human Rights Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. A former member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, he also trained at the Herbert von Karajan Academy. At just 23, he was invited to perform as Guest Principal Flute with the Berliner Philharmoniker, working under esteemed conductors including Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Sakari Oramo, Mariss Jansons, and Bernard Haitink. At the invitation of Claudio Abbado, Oliva also served as Principal Flute of the Orchestra Mozart. As a soloist, he has performed on multiple occasions with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, under the direction of Christopher Hogwood, Myung-Whun Chung, and Sir Antonio Pappano. A dedicated chamber musician, he is a founding member of both the Italian Wind Quintet and I Cameristi di Santa Cecilia. In addition to his performance career, he is Professor of Flute at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana.
Graduated with highest honors from the Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan. From 1992 to 2000, he was a member of the "Ottorino Respighi" study group at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, where he refined his artistry. He made his solo debut in 1990 at Milan’s Sala Verdi, performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with the RAI Milan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Delman. Since then, he has enjoyed an illustrious career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing across Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Egypt. Arosio has shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Bruno Giuranna, Mario Ancillotti, Roger Bobo, Joseph Alessi, Martin Hackleman, Allen Vizzutti, Philip Smith, Alain Trudel, and Velvet M. Brown. From 1992 to 1996, he was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. His collaborations extend to major orchestras, including I Pomeriggi Musicali, the Orchestra Verdi of Milan, the Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo, the Orchestra of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. A prolific recording artist, he has recorded for Rivista Amadeus, Sax Records, Rivo Alto, Ediclass, Rainbow, and Cristal. His performances have also been broadcast on RAI, SSDRS Zurich, Radio France, RNE Madrid, Deutschlandradio Berlin, and BBC London.
Anita Mazzantini holds the position of Assistant Principal Double Bass with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She began her musical studies at the age of eight at the Istituto Musicale “Pietro Mascagni” in Livorno, later continuing at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, where she earned her diploma at just 17 years old. In recognition of her artistic achievements, she was awarded the Benemerita Honor for Art and Culture by the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. She has collaborated with some of the world’s most esteemed orchestras, including the ensembles of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Regio di Parma, Orchestra della Fondazione Toscanini di Parma, I Virtuosi Italiani, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Mozart, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Les Dissonances in Paris. From 2003 to 2006, she was Principal Double Bass of the Festival Strings Lucerne, touring across Europe, Thailand, Turkey, North and South America. Since 2018, she has been Professor of Double Bass at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. She performs on a Giuseppe Baldantoni double bass (Ancona, 1867).
Andrea Santarsiere pursued his musical studies at the Conservatorio “Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa” in Potenza and further refined his artistry in Amsterdam under the guidance of Jan Pustjens, Gustavo Gimeno, Lorenzo Ferrandiz and Nik Woud of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was later selected as a percussionist for both the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and the European Union Youth Orchestra. In 2004, he was invited to join Orchestra Mozart, collaborating with Claudio Abbado and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Two years later, in 2006, he won First Prize at the International Bari Competition for Solo Snare Drum. Alongside his expertise in classical percussion, he has honed his skills as a drummer, studying with Alfredo Golino, Maurizio Dei Lazzaretti, and Agostino Marangolo, and participating in numerous masterclasses with world-renowned drummers. He has been invited to perform with esteemed orchestras, including the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2009, he has been a percussionist with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. In the 2023–2024 season, he also served as Professor of Percussion at the Conservatorio “Umberto Giordano” in Rodi Garganico.
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Gustav Mahler
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer
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