The Bolling Project

An outstanding ensemble born within Italy’s most prestigious orchestra, the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

The program features two masterpieces that represent the perfect fusion between classical music and jazz: Claude Bolling’s Suite No. 1 and No. 2 for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio.

A French composer, pianist, conductor, and arranger, Bolling is renowned for creating a unique musical language that blends the elegance of classical tradition with the improvisational freedom of jazz.

The first piece in which Bolling experimented with this fusion was the Sonata for Two Pianos, recorded with Jean-Bernard Pommier. Captivated by this work, the legendary flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal commissioned Bolling to compose something similar for flute.

This led to the creation of the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, a celebrated work that established Bolling as a pioneer of what became known as Crossover Music.

In these two Suites, composed in 1975 and 1986 respectively, the classical flute converses with the groove of a jazz piano, supported by double bass and drums.

Each Suite consists of multiple movements that, with virtuosity and elegance, offer the audience a surprising range of colors and moods, perfectly embodying the harmony between technique and improvisation.