Flute Vocalise, a new
release from Diversions Records
www.divine-art.co.uk/DAhome.htm is a tribute to Paul Taffanel devoted to
his legacy. Kenneth Smith (flute) http://www.divineartrecords.com/AS/kensmith.htm
and Paul Rhodes (piano) http://www.divineartrecords.com/AS/paulrhodes.htm perform works that either have a connection
with Taffanel or that reflect the seamless vocal line that his style of flute
playing gave.
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Paul Rhodes read music at Edinburgh University where he
studied composition with Kenneth Leighton. He continued his piano studies later
with Marjorie Hazlehurst at the Birmingham Conservatoire and with Hamish Milne
in London. Master-classes with Louis Kentner, Vlado Perlemuter and Mitsuko
Uchida also had a decisive influence on his playing. Paul divides his time
between performing, teaching and examining. Rhodes has featured in numerous
recordings and broadcasts with Kenneth Smith in a musical partnership that has
now reached its twentieth year.
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
was commissioned by Taffanel to write
her Concertino, Op.107 for the 1902 Paris
Conservatoire Concours, the first female composer to provide such a work. There
is some beautiful legato playing from Kenneth Smith. What a lovely sound he
draws from his flute finely accompanied by Paul Rhodes. This piece is not only
highly attractive but presents the player with a range of demands including
some exhilaratingly fast passages complete with a cadenza.
Fryderyk Chopin’s
(1810-1849) Variations on a Theme by Rossini is an early work believed to
have been written around 1824. After a staccato presentation of Rossini’s theme
the music develops through an attractive series of variations. As the piece
progresses it gets increasingly more difficult for the flautist. This is not a
particularly great piece by the 14 year old composer, but certainly worth hearing,
particularly as finely played as it is here.
Apparently Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and Taffanel often
performed together. Saint-Saëns Le Cygne (The
Swan) was added by Taffanel to a
collection of music that he considered would suit the flute, published in 1888.
Here we have a beautifully played arrangement, by Kenneth Smith, of The Swan
The music of Benjamin
Godard (1849-1895) has received a revival through Naxos’ recording of his
Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra, Concerto Romantique for Violin and
Orchestra and Scenes Poétiques for Orchestra. His Suite de Trois Morceaux, Op.116 (1890) was written for flute and
orchestra or flute and piano as performed here. There is a gentle yet flowing allegretto finely played, an Idylle
where Kenneth Smith’s lovely flute tone brings a lovely quality to the music
and a light hearted Valse that allows
this flautist many opportunities to display his technique and panache. There is
some great playing from these artists with a superb virtuoso end.
Who doesn’t know Jules
Massenet’s 1842-1912) Meditation from Thaïs. This was Massenet’s most
popular opera and was first
performed at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on 16 March 1894 conducted by Paul
Taffanel who had been appointed conductor of the Paris Opera four years
previously. Smith and Rhodes bring a lovely warmth to this well known yet still
beautiful piece.
Claude Debussy
(1862-1918) wrote his Petite Suite for piano duet but it was later
orchestrated by the composer, organist and conductor, Henri Busser who, at the
request of Paul Taffanel, had also
written a piece for the Conservatoire examinations in 1908. It was from
Busser’s orchestral version that Kenneth
Smith and Paul Rhodes arranged En Bateau,
from the Petite Suite, for flute and piano. This is a lovely performance
with a sparkling flute part and attractive playing from both performers.
The name Giulio
Briccialdi (1818-1881) is not a name that will be very well known to most
people yet the tune that appears in his
Il Carnivale di Venezia, Op.77 is very well known. There is a flourishing
opening for flute and piano before the very well known tune arrives. This piece
is great fun with some spectacularly fine playing form Kenneth Smith.
Sergei Rachmaninov
(1873-1943) knew when he had a winning tune arranging his Vocalise, O.34 No.14, originally for soprano and piano, for
soprano and orchestra as well as orchestra alone. Since then there have been
numerous arrangements for a variety of instruments. Kenneth Smith has made this
arrangement for flute and piano which works exceedingly well. What we lose in
richer melody is made up by Smith’s beautiful flute phrases and Rhodes’
idiomatic piano part.
Paul Taffanel was friend, mentor and teacher to Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941) whose Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando was
played by the composer and Taffanel before students in his class. Present was a
certain young student, Marcel Moyse, whom Kenneth Smith later had the privilege
of studying this piece with. A lovely languid Nocturne, sensuously played by Kenneth Smith with some fine passages
from Paul Rhodes, precedes an Allegro
Scherzando with a fluttering opening and a lovely broad melody before a
brilliant coda.
Gabriel Faure
(1845-1924) wrote his Berceuse,
Op.16 for violin, in which form it was premiered in 1880. This arrangement
for flute and piano of this perfectly formed piece receives a performance of such
care and sensitivity in this seemingly simple little work.
The longest piece on this disc is François Borne’s (1840-1920) Fantaisie Brillante sur ‘Carmen’. Bizet’s
opera was a favourite of Taffanel who wrote five fantasies of his own. The work
opens with the piano before the flute enters in this Fantaisie built on several
themes from Bizet’s Carmen. Occasionally there are some striking piano parts
and the opportunity to show some lovely flute textures in this simply brilliant
performance.
These pieces may be somewhat slight but there is much to
enjoy on this beautifully played and produced disc.
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