With her Navona debut, I Close My Eyes in Order to See, accomplished Canadian flutist Sara Hahn demonstrates her exceptional sensitivity for emotional nuance coupled with great virtuosic capability, but most of all: the healing power of music itself...

Sara Hahn, currently the Principal Flutist for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, is known for her refined and beautiful tone, and I Close My Eyes in Order to See indubitably attests to this. But extraordinarily, there is even more to Hahn's musicianship: An exquisite ability to get right into the heart of a composition. No doubt this is in part due to the highly personal selection of pieces: The album's eponymous opening track, 'I Close My Eyes To See', was dedicated to Hahn by composer Arthur Bachmann, written to commemorate her mother's hard (but eventually successful) battle with cancer.

Indeed, the compositions of this album centre around perhaps the greatest, and most universal, challenge of the human condition: overcoming Fate's hardships. In this spirit, the individual musical pieces represent emotions such as fear, sadness, the desire to bargain, and depression and anger are reached with the help of mental fortitude and spirituality – all culminating, inspiringly, in acceptance and optimism.

If, like me, you love the rich sound of the flute, then you're in for a treat. The album is 10 tracks (1 hr, 16 sec) of pure bliss, with diversity helping to keep you coming back time and again for more. After listening to this numerous times over the course of several weeks I can confirm that this is one album you'll get year's of satisfaction and listening pleasure from. Each time I play it I find something new and uplifting which I previously overlooked.

Hahn's playing is wonderfully accompanied, on various tracks, by pianist Laura Lowen as well as Sarah Gieck on flute.

A beautiful and engaging album that never gets old.

Track listing:

Arthur M. Bachmann
I Close My Eyes
Sara Hahn (flute), Laura Loewen (piano)
01 - I Close My Eyes… (3:54)
02 - …In Order… (5:10)
03 - …To See (8:03)

Kent Kennan
04 - Night Soliloquy (flute solo with piano accompaniment) (3:41)
Sara Hahn (flute), Laura Lowen (piano)

Harry Somers
05 - Etching (2:39)
(Excerpt from The Vollard Suite, from The Picasso suite for small orchestra)
Sara Hahn (flute)

Henry Wolking
06 - The Gate of Lodore (Rondo Allegretto for flute and piano) (7:37)
Sara Hahn (flute), Laura Lowen (piano)

Arthur M. Bachmann
07 - The Curmudgeon and the Lark (For flute and alto flute) (7:41)
Sara Hahn (flute), Sarah Gieck (alto flute)

André Jolivet
08 - Chant De Linos (10:54)
Sara Hahn (flute), Laura Loewen (piano)

Gabriel Fauré
09 - Morceau De Concours (2:58)
Sara Hahn (flute), Laura Loewen (piano)

Efraín Amaya
10 - Pathways (7:42)
Sara Hahn (flute), Sarah Gieck (flutes)

10

Darren Rea