Mozart - Flute Concerto 1 [Brooke/Vasary-Philharmonia Orchestra] 

I don't listen to these works a great deal, they're what i call 'sweet' Mozart, easy on the ear, and Concertos of not great depth, not like his Piano Concertos, but it's good to bring together a collection of three congenial woodwind / brass works under one disc, and to keep myself familiar with these works, again this is a disc that finds its very first outing, and this is the first time i've mentioned a Flute Concerto in my Blog, i enjoyed this today. 

Sarah Brooke is English i take it, i can't find much about her, this disc was recorded in 1989, on the now defunct Collins Classical label, but the company has left behind a lovely bunch of recordings that are still available from second-hand sources, the front booklet cover is very lovely indeed, showing a flute, bassoon, and oboe horizontal and lying next to each other, gives a lovely impression of keys and stops, and the lettering above is well placed, really love the colours it gives off.

The first movement is brilliant fun, full of sparkle and ideas, and a great virtuoso workout for the soloist, it also has some great tunes too, sounding like one of Mozart's upbeat Opera Arias, on this performance it lasts just over 9 minutes, the almost direct quote of a familiar but yet can't put my finger on it Aria is in the orchestral introduction [0:47-0:55], and also comes later with the Soloist [2:48-2:57 & 7:04-7:13], it meanders all over the place, without truly becoming distinctive, at the end there's a cadenza [7:47-8:59], a lovely sunny piece.

Here's Emmanuel Pahud playing the first movement on YouTube.

Various Composers - Flute A La Francaise 'French Flute Music' [Hutchins/Hutchins]

I like these Flute recitals, especially where the disc concentrates on a certain aspect of the music, and here it's French music, and a nice mix of different Composers, with a nice mix of varied works, but it all gels together, it has a certain continuity to it all. 

Timothy Hutchins is Canadian, he certainly isn't a household name, this disc was recorded in 1995, and the front cover is a mosaic of sections of the flute [photo by Richard Jenkins], the picture isn't in focus, but the lettering is well laid out and pleasing. 

I really like the two Faure openers, short and sweet, very well played, and very memorable tunes, but it was the Ganne work that i found so incredible, and the last Flute recital disc featured this same work [26th September 2010], it lasts just over 7 minutes on this recording, the opening Andante has a nice exotic feel to it, and a superbly memorable tune to boot, the flute plays silky and smooth [0:07-1:02], it's good to hear the piano play a short solo version of the tune inbetween [0:35-0:41], and when the opening tune returns, it's such a wonderful moment [2:45-3:47], the flute then has a solo [3:42-4:51], where it has these echo effects it creates [3:48 & 3:54], really inventive and atmospheric, right after it launches straight into the more virtuosic Scherzo, which creates a thrilling finale, but not as memorable as the initial Andante that preceded it.

Here's Minja Marcetic playing Ganne's Andante et Scherzo on YouTube.

Various Composers - Flute Fantaisie [Milan/Brown]

This is my very first Flute disc i'm mentioning in my Blog, it's got some great stuff in it, rather than a Flute Sonata disc, with roughly three Sonatas, this has ten shorter pieces, from roughly 3 minutes to 9 minutes, a great variety of items, with of course some virtuoso flute playing by Susan Milan, she is an English Flautist.

The two pieces that really impressed me the most, were tracks 7 & 10, the Faure is short and sweet, the Louis Ganne piece called Andante et Scherzo is darker and mysterious, at least in the Andante, it's lighter and frothy in the Scherzo, the opening piano intro sets the tone [0:00-0:08], a serious intro, with a touch of orientalism about it, the flute then sings out the main melody [0:08+], a ravishing tune couched in mystery, it suits the breathy tone of the flute perfectly, the piano echoes the flutes opening [0:38+], an excellent little touch from Ganne, towards the end of the Andante, there's the reprise of the opening couple of minutes [2:44+], and it's so lovely to hear this dark mysterious opening played anew, the Scherzo [starting 4:44+] is more happier and bubbly, and about halfway through the piano superbly reminisces on a happier version of the opening Andante tune [5:40+], and the flute obliges by copying the piano's lead [5:46+], with the piano rippling away in the background, it's a really lovely piece, especially the Andante, French flute music holds a treasure trove of lovely works if you search through its gems.

Here's Minja Marcetic playing the Andante et Scherzo by Ganne on YouTube.