www.schott-music.com/shop/persons/featured/5345 and the Sonate by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) www.poulenc.fr who died 50 years ago. These works are coupled with the Sonata by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) www.hindemith.info, the Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 14 by Robert Muczynski (1929-2010) www.pytheasmusic.org/muczynski.html and the Ballade pour Flûte et Piano by Frank Martin (1890-1974) www.frankmartin.org
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| 92.667 SACD |
Anne-Catherine
Heinzmann www.annecatherineheinzmann.de,
one of the most renowned German flautists of her generation, studied with
Professor Jean-Claude Gerard in Stuttgart, Professor Jeanne Baxtresser in New
York and Professor Michael –Martin Kofler in Salzburg. Since winning national
and international prizes she has appeared at many concert halls and
international festivals. In chamber music she has collaborated with such
artists as Aurèle Nicolet, Leonard Hokanson, Miriam Fried, Erik Schumann and
Gustav Rivinius. In 1999 she became co-principal flute of the Opernn und
Museumsorchester Frankfurt am Main and is a member of the Trio Charoica.
Thomas Hoppe www.thomashoppe.com studied with Agathe Wanek in Mainz before
going to the United States to study with Lee Luvisi. He was the first recipient
of the Samuel Sanders Memorial Award at the Juilliard School of Music. He
performs frequently with instrumentalists and singers in the U.S. and in Europe
and has performed with such eminent artists as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell,
Antje Weithaas, Mihaela Martin, Stefan Milenkovich, Jens Peter Maintz, Alban
Gerhardt and Frans Helmerson. As pianist of the ATOS Trio he performs
throughout the world.
Francis Poulenc worked
on his Sonate (1952-1957) for a
number of years, completing it in Canne. The renowned flautist, Jean-Pierre
Rampal, gave the first performance with the composer. The flowing opening of
the Allegretto malincolico belies any difficulties. Anne-Catherine
Heinzmann gives some really fluent playing in this fast changing movement,
moving from passionate and lively to quiet and beautiful. There are some fine piano passages to which
Thomas Hoppe contributes much. Heinzmann has a lovely, pure tone in the flowing
Cantilena, with sensitive
accompaniment from Thomas Hoppe. Heinzmann draws so many colours from her flute
as she moulds this gorgeous movement. The frantic Presto giocoso provides playing of flair, panache and great style,
always maintaining a lovely tone, even in the more forceful passages. These two
musicians make a fine duo, always sensitive to each other.
Paul Hindemith’s
Sonata was written in 1936, a bad
year for Hindemith. After the rise to
power of the Nazis his position became more and more difficult with, in 1936, a
final ban issued for the performance of his works. This led to his emigration,
initially to Switzerland, and subsequently to the United States where in 1946
he acquired American nationality. It was in the U.S. that the Sonata was first
performed.
As soon as the first movement, marked Heiter bewegt, opens, Hindemith’s harmonically distinctive sound
world is evident; the joy is still there, tempered by a sometimes ambivalent
feel. Heinzmann never misses an opportunity to draw on the textural and
harmonically shifting emotions, again colouring the music exceptionally well. There
is a strangely withdrawn and isolated feel to the sehr langsam slow movement. How finely these players gently move
this music along as it becomes more desperate and passionate before falling
back to the gentle music of the opening. There is a terrific Sehr lebhaft finale with such fine
playing from both artists in a movement that seems to finally throw off the
underlying tension.
Henri Dutilleux –
Sonatine pour Flüte et Piano (1943) is a work that the composer didn’t want
us to hear. Such was his self-criticism that he classed all of his works prior
to the end of the Second World War as preparations or exercises. Yet his little
Sonatine is a delightful piece with an almost improvisatory opening, so free is
it in its flow and invention. As it progresses there are some lovely touches
beautifully played by Heinzmann and Hoppe. The second movement, that follows
without a break, is connected to the first movement by a cadenza before the
piano enters. The flute continues to dominate with some lovely passages
complete with arabesques. These two players are terrific in this movement
playing with such sensitivity. The music runs straight into a fast moving
finale with some spectacularly good playing from Heinzmann in the weaving of the
various themes. There is another solo flute section before the tempo slowly
increases to a sparkling coda.
I hadn’t heard the name Robert
Muczynski before. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Muczynski was a composer and
pianist who studied with the exiled Russian composer, Alexander Tcherepnin. His
Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 14 is
certainly an attractive work. There is a striking rhythmic opening to the
allegro Allegro Deciso, full of energy,
if pent up at times. Heinzmann and Hoppe provide some lovely crisp rhythms in
some great playing. The Scherzo
follows, giving no respite to the performers, rushing ahead as it does.
Rhythmically this is also a challenging movement. The solo flute opens the Andante in a lovely flowing melody
before the piano enters to take up the theme. As the theme is developed it
tries to rise to a more passionate level but it doesn’t succeed, ending
quietly. The lively Allegro con molto pushes ahead with varying strident and quieter
moments. There is a terrific cadenza for solo flute, with more great playing
from Heinzmann, before the music hurtles to the coda.
Frank Martin’s
Ballade pour Flûte et Piano (1939) is often known in its version for flute,
string orchestra and piano, rather than the original for flute and piano as
heard here. It was written as a compulsory competition piece for the first
Geneva International Music Competition. The work opens in a very distinctive
Martin way, with a kind of slow unstoppable rhythmic plod before speeding to a
small climax. After a brief moment the music surges ahead before an extended
solo passage for flute. The music then builds up a real head of steam as it
heads to the formidable coda with some pretty spectacular playing from both
artists.
This is a glorious disc that works so well as a recital to
play right through. The recording from the famous Jesus Christus Kirche,
Berlin-Dahlen, the venue for so many great recordings of the past, is first
rate, proving to be as good for small scale forces as it is for choral and
orchestral recordings. Audite are certainly celebrating their 40th
anniversary in style with another fine recording.
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