Janet Axelrod, flute; Elizabeth DiFelice, piano.
Joshua ROSENBLUM: Touch and Go
David CHASE: Jump Scher(z)
Mary-Mitchell CAMPBELL: feuille dans un ruisseau
Gary ADLER: For Harvey…(A Theatrical Fantasy for Flute and Piano)
Georgia STITT: Duet for Flute and Piano #1
Joseph CHURCH: Oasis
Broadway Records BRCD01234
Formats: Digital, CD
Release Date: February 28, 2025
Total Duration: 46 minutes
William Ford | 28 JUL 2025
Janet Axelrod Janet Axelrod has long been one of New York’s most adaptable and respected flutists. With a career spanning chamber ensembles, Broadway pits, studio sessions, and a two-decade tenure at Radio City Music Hall, she is a true fixture of the city’s music scene. Raised in the D.C. area after an early childhood in Texas, Axelrod followed a winding path to music, eventually earning her master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music and building a reputation as a highly sought-after freelancer. Her latest project, Act One, brings that breadth of experience into sharp focus.
BRCD01234 cover art (click to enlarge)
The album grew out of a familiar frustration in music education: much of the standard flute repertoire lags behind the diversity and richness of today’s musical landscape. Seeking expressive, contemporary material for her students, Axelrod turned to her extensive network in the theater world. Instead of commissioning traditional concert composers, she invited six collaborators from Broadway—friends and colleagues known for their work as orchestrators, arrangers, and music directors—to write recital-length works for flute and piano. These artists, though not always associated with concert music, brought vivid musical instincts and dramatic flair to the task.
The result is a collection of pieces that blend accessibility with substance, theatricality with chamber music intimacy. Despite their creators’ backgrounds in theater, none of the works feel like novelty crossovers. Each piece was written with the concert stage in mind and showcases a distinctive voice.
Joshua Rosenblum’s Touch and Go moves fluidly between quasi-classical passages and swinging jazz sections, giving Axelrod room to explore tonal nuance and flexible phrasing. Its stylistic contrasts highlight her versatility and lightness of touch.
David Chase’s Jump Scher(z) bursts with mischievous energy. Alternating between scherzo-like classical gestures and the rhythmic vitality of 1940s jump blues, it showcases Axelrod’s crisp articulation and comic timing. The piece’s theatrical spirit is unmistakable.
Mary-Mitchell Campbell’s feuille dans un ruisseau (“Leaf in a Stream”) offers a contemplative contrast. Its Impressionist-inspired textures and modern harmonies evoke a sense of drifting and reflection, allowing Axelrod’s tone to bloom in subtle colors.
Gary Adler’s For Harvey is a touching tribute to his mentor, Harvey Schmidt. Styled in Schmidt’s lyrical and expressive idiom, the piece sings with warmth and nostalgia—qualities that Axelrod delivers with grace and restraint.
Georgia Stitt’s Duet for Flute and Piano #1 explores the flute’s emotional expressiveness through the lens of the number five, with quintuple rhythms, 5/4 meter, and recurring fifth intervals. The work feels both cerebral and lyrical, balancing structural inventiveness with a heartfelt musical line.
Joseph Church’s Oasis closes the album with a tone of cinematic scope and mystery. Evoking birdcalls, waterfalls, wind chimes, and the rustling of leaves, it draws on the natural and spiritual atmosphere of Eastern Long Island. The piece offers Axelrod a broad palette for color and dynamics, bringing the album to a resonant and atmospheric conclusion.
Axelrod’s playing is polished and technically assured. Her tone remains warm and expressive, and her phrasing is always guided by musical narrative. The pianists—mostly the composers themselves—bring deep familiarity and emotional clarity to the performances, resulting in duets that feel intuitive and alive. Engineered at Kaleidoscope Sound, the recording captures a natural balance between instruments in a clean, intimate acoustic.
Act One is more than a showcase of new music—it’s a model for how performers can expand the repertoire through relationships, curiosity, and artistic risk. Axelrod’s goal wasn’t just to enrich the flute canon, but to broaden its expressive possibilities and invite new voices into the fold. With a second volume already underway and a performance tour including the Osaka Expo on the horizon, Act One marks both a personal milestone and a forward-looking contribution to the instrument’s evolving identity. ■
BONUS: VIDEO INTERVIEW OF JANET AXELROD
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Janet Axelrod: janetaxelrod.com
Read more by William Ford.
.png){kind=logo}