Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music

Flute Performance

31st May 2011

Programme Notes

Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, KV.314

Mozart
Allegro Aperto
Adagio ma non troppo
Rondeau: Allegro

Pièce Ibert

Suite for Flute and Piano, Op.34 Widor

I. Moderato
II.Scherzo: Allegro vivace
III. Romance:Andantino
IV. Final: Vivace

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 1623 Words

Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, KV.314

Mozart (1756-1791)
Allegro Aperto
Adagio ma non troppo
Rondeau: Allegro

In 1777, Dutch flautist Ferdinand De Jean commissioned Mozart for 'three

little, easy, short concertos and a few quartets on the flute' [i.e. pieces for
string quartet with the first violin replaced by a flute]. Many flautists believe
that Mozart disliked the flute because he referred to it as 'an instrument I
can't stand' in a letter to his father, written while he was trying to complete
this commission. His words have been translated to refer to a dislike of the
flute itself, but could also refer to his distaste of such a tedious commission
that required him to write many pieces for the same instrument.

On the other hand, Mozart seems to have only written two solo compositions
for a professional flautist to play: a Symphonie Concertante (K. 297 in Eb
major) for flute, oboe, horn and bassoon and the G major Flute Concerto (K.
313). In the end Mozart sent Dejean three quartets and two flute concerti,
the flute concerti being: the previous G major Concerto with the Andante in
C, K. 315 as perhaps an alternative middle movement and reworked the
oboe Concerto in C major, K. 271k, into the D major Concerto for flute K.314.

Mozart didn't just merely transcribe the concerto into a different key and
adjust for the range of the flute, he changed major parameters: motifs
change regarding intervallic distance making the flute part much more
virtuostic; quaver triplet passages written for oboe transform into
semiquaver passages for the flute, again making the flute version more
virtuostic; and articulation and ornamentation differ rather dramatically
between the two versions. Some bars, particularly in the Rondeau, seem to
be completely different. Mozart rewrote the concerto in such a way that for nearly two
hundred years, scholars believed that it was originally composed for the flute. It is
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easier to believe that he simplified the flute concerto and transformed it into
an oboe concerto rather than the other way around. Perhaps this is why
some oboists transpose and incorporate some of the virtuostic flute writing
into the C major Concerto.

Around the late 18th century, the flute was limited to one or two keys, the
latter being a development by Quantz by adding an Eb key to the already
established D# key. Because of this limitation, intonation was not accurate
and expert manipulation of the embouchure was an absolute necessity to
compensate for the defects of the instrument. Tromlitz, a German flute
maker, wrote that keys with more than three sharps or flats were “difficult
and unsuitable” for the flute. It is said that Mozart had an acutely sensitive
ear so perhaps this is why he confined his major flute works to the safer
major keys of D, G, A and C.

The D major Concerto is scored for an orchestra of two oboes, two horns and
strings. The orchestration is scored in a lighter, more transparent fashion
than the G major Concerto, highlighting the melodic line of the soloist. The
first movement is in double exposition sonata form. The opening flute line is
rather intriguing as it does not state the opening theme, as you would
expect. The tutti ritornello introduces over half of the musical ideas
manipulated in this movement, a ratio true also to the opening of the G
major Concerto which is more standard in form. The bold difference in writing
between these two openings is that in the D major Concerto the flute begins
by continuing the motif of the orchestra. Then rather than staying in the
forefront, it immediately steps back holding a long, expressive note while
allowing the orchestra to restate the theme of the opening before finally
continuing with its melodic line. Sadly, the flute never gets to play the
opening theme of this movement. This movement contains many of Mozart's
characteristic ornamental devices which include new rhythms, new
articulations and above all, chromatic passing notes.

The second movement is characterised by its liquid melodies, which

periodically depart into the minor which gives the intent of deeper emotional

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phrases. Chromatic appogiaturas at the end of phrases feature prominently
in this movement, enhancing the sense of longing throughout the whole
piece. Even if Mozart did despise the flute, the elegance of this movement
makes this difficult to believe.

The final Rondeau movement is a bright, Haydnesque finale with a theme

that is bouncy and energetic. Mozart used this theme in his opera, The
Abduction from Seraglio, during the aria, 'Welche Wonne, welche Lust'. A
memorable part of the movement begins in the central episode where a
tune, based on the theme, is developed in three-part counterpoint.

Since Mozart left the composing of the cadenzas to the performer, the
flautist is given the opportunity to creatively shine in each movement. In this
performance, the second and third cadenzas are self-composed and the first
is a transcription and adaptation of Emmanuel Pahud.

Pièce Ibert
(1890-1962)

Pièce was written for Marcel Moyse, following the success of the Flute
Concerto premiered by Moyse in 1934. After the premier, both Ibert and
Moyse were invited to attend a reception at the French Embassy in Prague.
Moyse had been asked to bring his flute so as to entertain the audience but
he did not know that Ibert, reportedly in less than an hour, had written a little
solo piece for him to sightread.

Pièce was published in 1936, although Moyse had already recorded it in

1935, therefore there are a few discrepencies between Moyse's version and
the final published version.

Although Ibert is mostly remembered for his large-scale works such as

Escales (1924), he was fascinated by the colors and timbres of wind
instruments which figure prominently in his writing. Two of his three
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concertos are for wind instruments and the third, for cello, features a
chamber orchestra consisting of six solo wind instruments and a string
quintet. Ibert always thought schools of composition unworthy. "All systems
are valid," he believed, "so long as one derives music from them." Ibert
always wanted to compose music that he could enjoy listening to repeatedly.
His compositional style is clear and elegant with traces of both late
Romanticism and Impressionism, some of which would have come from his
teacher, Gabriel Fauré.

This work is rather reminiscent of Debussy's well-known Prelude a l'apres-

midi d'un faune. The introduction is marked a piacere – at pleasure –
encouraging the player to enjoy its liquid melodies, virtuoso scales and
roulades. The first theme is beautifully integrated as compound time is
established. The Vivo section brings forth cascading scale passagework and
dramatic leaps, as the meter is disturbed due to the changing time
signatures. This unsettling continues throughout more rapid scales, with
vivid changes in the dynamics, climaxing through a chromatic minor-third
run which dove-tails back into the main theme in the upper register. The final
section includes rapid interjections within the established lyrical theme.

Pièce is a perfect encore to the concerto that Ibert had composed two years
previously.

Suite for Flute and Piano, Op.34 Widor

(1844-1937)
I. Moderato
II.Scherzo: Allegro vivace
III. Romance:Andantino
IV. Final: Vivace

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The Suite for Flute and Piano was written for Paul Taffanel (1844 - 1908),
founder of the 'French flute school' who inspired the composition of much
fine wind chamber music and works such as this, re-establishing the flute as
an instrument of 'serious music'. Taffanel revitalised flute music from the
earlier periods and championed a sense of lyricism in modern French flute
playing. Widor’s composition not only reflects Taffanel's lyricism, but also his
renowned virtuosity through its brief cadenzas at the end of the first and
third movements. Taffanel premiered this piece in 1884 although it was not
published until 1898. The later date is often incorrectly given as the date of
composition. The title “suite” seems somewhat misleading for it is a
substantial work in four movements and has almost the substance of a
sonata but the composer withheld that name, probably because it lacks a
formal sonata-allegro movement with development to open the work. The
Moderato movement is more introductory in nature and is more concerned
with lyricism than development.

The second movement is rapid throughout the predominantly semiquaver

scherzo section. The audience and the flutist are given a much deserved
break in the trio section before delving back into the repeat, which then has
a breathless ending.

The emotional heart of the Suite is the Romance: Andantino. Some

commentators have found this movement touching in a manner reminiscent
of the music of Robert Schumann, perhaps because of its likeness to his
clarinet Fantasiestucke, Op. 73. The Romance reverses the layout of the
Scherzo, with a stormy middle recititive-like section contrasting with the
flowing lines that surround it. The Romance reappeared in 1885 in the
incidental music that Widor wrote for Le Conte d’avril, a verse comedy,
adapted from Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night.

The form throughout the suite is carefully crafted and controlled, ending with
a dramatic Final, which is where most of the virtuoso display of the work is
concentrated. The textures are rich and harmonies wide-ranging, with some
of the chromatic elements that characterize Widor’s organ music. Towards

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the end of the Final the flute hurdles through many rapid arpeggiac
passages, very similar to the second movement of his Suite Florentine which
was written for violin and piano. The flute range is pushed to its limits whilst
fitting in with a vigourous piano part, which one can understand given
Widor’s organ background.

Widor reminds us that he is a contemporary of Gabriel Fauré through his tints

of delicate modal harmony used in this piece, which help to pave the
pathway that led to the Impressionism of Claude Debussy.