COMPOSER USA Spring 2001

“Dinos Constantinides’ Flute concerto is a woderfully contrasted work. The three movements are performed continuously, but there is a clear distinction between them. Like many of Constantinides’ compositions, this one was rather modal, but spiced with chromatic inflections that are typical of traditional ethnic and folk music of many cultures. This lends to the music, a clean, contemporary sound, while remaining very accessible. The orchestration was extremely skillfully done - another consistent feature of Constantinides’ music. Flute tones vary widely, from the hard, steely, somewhat cold sound, to the extremely rich, almost too intense (for my tastes, anyway), to the thin, breathy kind, usually more often found among jazz players. And all are fine for certain styles of music. But William Bennett’s is, to my ears, as nearly perfect a middle ground among all these possible tones as can be. It sounds perfectly beautiful. And his precision, phrasing, and sheer musicality is extraordinary.”

FLORIDA INTL FESTIVAL
Saturday, January 27, 2001 - THE NEWS JOURNAL

Orchestra treats selection with care

On Thursday night a packed house at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church heard the English Chamber Orchestra in a nicely varied program. The concert, part of the Central Florida Cultural Endeavors series, fulfilled every expectation of the Daytona Beach audience, this being the ECO’s second appearance in Daytona Beach. Conducted by the composer (Dinos Constantinides) the performance of his concerto featured flutist William Bennett, who is no stranger to Daytona Beach. The piece makes excellent use of Bennett’s virtuosity.

MARCH 2001 INREGISTER - Baton Rouge, LA

English Chamber Orchestra delights Baton Rouge audience

The several hundred who turned out to hear the English Chamber Orchestra in its first-ever Baton Rouge appearance were treated to a very special evening. The orchestra, which is touring the United States as part of its 40th anniversary celebration, came for the Jan.26 performance at the LSU Union Theatre as a favor to Louisiana Sinfonietta director Dinos Constantinides. Joining the ensemble for the concert was virtuoso flautist William Bennett. His first piece was “Homage,” a folk concert written by Constantinides.