222 Baird Hall
University at Buffalo
Buffalo NY, 14260

tel:  (716) 645-2765 x1257
fax:  (716) 645-3824
email: gabcheer@buffalo.edu

Reviews

"...the most bravura performance of the evening, Gobbetti pushed flute technique to the limit in her solo playing of Mark Engebretson's ENERGY DRINK II. Gobbetti alternated the most rapid passagework imaginable with whistling, humming and blasts of breath on and partially off the mouthpiece in this amazingly difficult, but humorous work..." 7/20/01, Jan Jezioro.

GOBBETTI'S FLUTE BRILLIANT ... "Philharmonic flutist Cheryl Gobbetti presented a recital sung with tone of crystal and velvet that might well have graced a visiting artist series anywhere ... there were three beautifully phrased and articulated pieces for flute alone - Bach's Partita in a minor, Paganini's Caprice in C transcribed by Jules Hermann and the glittering, leaping Sequenza of Luciano Berio... Buffalo has been a haven for some of the world's finest flutists - Ms. Gobbetti demonstrated that she is poised to move into their elite company... the virtuoso Paganini and Berio soliloquies were turned with brave flourish; the performance of Bach's Partita demonstrated the performer's deep awareness of musical form"... John Dwyer

"Ms. Gobbetti produces a bright, substantial tone, appealing in coloration and accurate in focus ... she skillfully blends disparate elements and consistently effects clear, resonant performance - a wonderful choice for the program!" ... Thomas Putnam

"Debussy's Syrinx was quite seductively and sensitively played ... Albert Roussel's Joueuers de Flute was immaculately polished, displaying exquisite ensemble and impeccable character ...an excellent performance by flutist Cheryl Gobbetti-Hoffman!" Herman Trotter, Buffalo News

"In a city singularly blessed with talented flute players, Cheryl Gobbetti is emerging as a superb solo artist ... Jolivet's FIVE INCANTATIONS revealed her finest talents ... its glowing flute tones, finely honed silvery ornaments, assured swirls of flutter-tonguing and overall superb control stood Gobbetti right up there with the finest players ... she was fluid and musical throughout." ... Roger Parris

"The piece de resistance was George Crumb's Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), given a wonderfully sensitive, first-class performance by flutist Cheryl Gobbetti and friends. Gobbetti's beautifully controlled performance of the Handel Sonata took the spotlight as her rich, creamy tone sang out in elegance and subtlety, enhanced by her lyrical shaping and vitality - it celebrated the genius of the composer as well as the talent of the musician. She then played Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major for piccolo and strings with virtuoso aplomb, rippling off coloratura roulades and violin-like figurations, maintaining a shimmering cantilena, then trilling and sliding deftly into the finale." ... Kenneth Young

"Philharmonic flutist Cheryl Gobbetti and harpist Suzanne Thomas presented a charmer of a concert. These two are masters of their instruments, playing with facility, full-blooded tone and fine ensemble." ... Richard Chon

" ... and speaking of naturally, that's the way flutist Cheryl Gobbetti played Copland's Duo for flute and piano with Leo Smit ..." William Littler

GOBBETTI HOFFMAN SHOWS OFF HER MAGIC FLUTE IN CONCERT,

by Garaud MacTaggart

    "Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman is a wonderful flutist, one with plenty of techniques and grace enough to spare when called for in the score. Her recital Tuesday night showcased her abilities as a musician and, with the aid of a few friends, she presented a program that meshed a variety of styles into an intriguing whole.

    She began her concert with an arrangement for flute and piano of Samuel barber's song cycle "Melodies passageres."  Aided by
pianist Jacob Greenberg, Gobbetti Hoffman floated her lines with considerable aplomb and sensitivity, leaning in to the composer's beautiful score as if it were created for her.  The fourth of the five pieces in the cycle ("Le clocher chante") was particularly arresting as Greenberg and Gobbetti Hoffman engaged in some brilliant, sparkling interplay...

    After the intermission, the flutist was joined on stage by soprano saxophonist Susan Fancher in an arrangement of "Duets for
Storab", a work originally for two flutes composed by British composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle.  In many ways, the Fancher/Gobbetti Hoffman pairing may have been the most interesting of the evening as they tossed phrases back and forth only to join up for brief passages that soon fractured into more singular lines.  The tonal qualities of their instruments were such that it
was hard to imagine the original two-flute lineup being any better..."

The Buffalo News, Life and Arts, Saturday, October 9, 2004

SINFONIETTA ADDS HUMOR TO GORGEOUS PLAYING

by Garaud MacTaggart

"...The headline piece for the evening was Lukas Foss's "For Toru", a musical memorial to Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu that was written in 1996 and proved to be a delightfully sophisticated showpiece for flutist Cheryl
Gobbetti Hoffman.  The gorgeous string playing of the Sinfonietta alternately provideed a lush cushion for Gobbetti Hoffman's artistry and a few shards of dissonance.  At times, the soloist's sound came awfully close to
that of the shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute) in this moving
threnody..."