Album Review – L’aprés-midi d’un nymphe with Noémi Györi & Zoltán Fejérvári feat. Kate Fleetwood
In L'après-midi d’une nymphe, flutist Noemi Gyori and pianist Zoltán Fejérvári offer an album of radiant lyricism and nuanced artistry, weaving together some of the most evocative repertoire for flute and piano with an intimacy that feels both timeless and deeply personal. Released on April 25, 2025 by Rubicon Classics, the album is a shimmering tribute to the sensuous, symbolist spirit of fin-de-siècle France while also highlighting Gyori’s expressive range and Fejérvári's supple, color-rich piano.
At the heart of the recording is Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, arranged by Karl Lenski. The iconic flute solo—suggestive of languid dreams and sylvan sensuality—is not merely preserved but deepened through Gyori’s smoky tone and elastic phrasing. “I wanted to reimagine this masterpiece for a more intimate setting,” Gyori shares in the album’s liner notes. “To capture its essence without the orchestra, but still with the full spectrum of color and atmosphere.” Indeed, Fejérvári rises to the challenge with painterly delicacy, conjuring textures that shimmer, ripple, and dissolve like light on water.
The Debussy sets the tone for an album that lingers in a world of suggestion, shadows, and whispered secrets. Jules Mouquet’s La Flûte de Pan, often approached as a mere showpiece, is here sculpted with refinement and inner warmth. Fejérvári’s touch remains unfailingly elegant, balancing fluidity with structural poise. This piece emerges as a miniature jewel box, rendered with rich expression and velvet tone; Fejérvári plays the piano’s cascading figures with a kind of hushed grandeur, transforming this oft-played work into something newly enchanting.
Gyori’s phrasing feels almost vocal, each line shaped with care and clarity.
The programming—curated with intelligence and imagination—features both familiar and lesser-known gems of the French repertoire. A standout is André Jolivet's Chant de Linos, which showcases Gyori’s storytelling gifts. She brings a languorous, perfume-laced sensuality and an impish wit to this piece. Fejérvári is a perfect partner, matching her phrase for phrase with vibrant rhythmic drive and nuanced color. Gyori’s Central European heritage shines through, and she delivers virtuosic sparkle with flair and finesse. Lesser hands might reduce it to empty showmanship; here it dances with style and spirit—Gyori’s technique is flawless, yet always deeply musical.
Adding a distinctive dimension to L'après-midi d’une nymphe is the presence of acclaimed actress and voice-over artist Kate Fleetwood, known for her work in Harry Potter, Star Wars, and on the London stage. Fleetwood’s narration of carefully selected poetry creates luminous interludes that weave seamlessly between the musical offerings. Her voice—at once artful, soothing, and richly dramatic—paints vivid vignettes that deepen the album’s emotional resonance. Particularly memorable is her reading of Anna T. Szabó's The Nymph to the Faun, a voluptuous, dreamlike reverie that perfectly complements the shimmering soundscape created by Gyori and Fejérvári. Fleetwood’s performance does more than bridge the musical works; she draws the listener into a heightened sensory world where word, sound, and feeling converge. Her contribution is essential to the album’s innovative spirit, helping transform it from a mere collection of pieces into an immersive, curated journey.
A ravishing and intelligently conceived album, full of atmosphere, detail, and heart. Noemi Gyori, Zoltán Fejérvári, and Kate Fleetwood breathe new life into well-loved repertoire and cherished poetry, inviting us to hear it all anew. Highly recommended for lovers of French music, flute, romantic poetry, and anyone who believes that beauty still matters.