Partita a-Moll [Partita in A minor] BWV 1013

Bach, JS

The Partita was virtually unknown until 1917 when the manuscript (call number: Mus. Ms. Bach P 968) was acquired by the then Royal Library in Berlin from the heirs of the former Thomaskantor and avid Bach collector Wilhelm Rust (1822-1892). For this reason, the Partita for Flute, BWV 1013 was not included in the pioneering Gesamtausgabe der Bachgesellschaft finished in 1900. It seems possible that Wilhelm Rust intentionally withheld the piece from publication despite the fact that he had generously supported the Bachgesellschaft edition in its early stages.

Today the Partita is well known, though it is worth remembering that this piece is one of the latest additions to the canon of Bach's works. Barenreiter Urtext presents this detailed edition with full historical attention to detail.

Cinq Incantations

Jolivet, A

Andre Jolivet presents Cinq Incantations [Five Incantations] for flute alone.

'The son of a painter and a pianist, Andre Jolivet exhibited early musical talent. His strongest musical influences included Debussy, Dukas, Ravel, Le Flem, and Varese. In 1936, Jolivet, along with composers Olivier Messiaen and Yves Baudrier, formed the group known as 'La Jeune France.' Sharing an interest in spiritual concerns and a desire to widen the emotional range of music, this group promoted spiritual values and human qualities in a mechanical and impersonal world.

Of particular importance to Jolivet was the rediscovery of music s original ancient meaning and expression. In the same year that he joined this group, Jolivet composed his Cinq Incantations for solo flute. This 5-movement work deals with the life cycle and the idea of the harvest. Written shortly after the death of his mother, this work calls forth both expansive and coiled lines, repeated motives summoning an incantatory character, and a deep intensity of sound. It is Jolivet s particular use of repetition that results in an equally static, evolutionary, meditative, and spellbinding atmosphere.'

- Catherine Ramirez; Shelter From the Storm

Les Folies d'Espagne

Marais, M

Many composers - from Corelli, Albicastro and Alessandro Scarlatti to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and a host of others - have used the famous sarabande melody called 'folia' as the basis for cycles of variations. Hans-Peter Schmitz's solo flute arrangement of the 'Folies d'Espagne' by Marin Marais (1656-1728), originally conceived for gamba, thoroughly agrees with the flexible scoring and performance practice of the first half of the 18th century, and has long since secured its place in the flute repertoire.

Zwolf Fantasien [Twelve Fantasias]

Telemann, GP

This Barenreiter Urtext edition of the Twelve Fantasias for traverse flute without bass proves to be a faithful reflection of the age. Delight in playing, freedom in the form, in the time and in the key structure emphasize the improvisatory character of the works. The mosaic-like gaiety of the colors, along with the rugged architecture and a tendency to clearly-defined forms illuminate the antitheses which are peculiar to his genre. With regard to melody, Baroque emotions alternate with rococo-like delicacy.

The Fantasias for flute without bass address themselves less to the virtuoso than to the student and amateur flutist, who will find everything they wishe in these pieces. Although Telemann himself may have lost track of his works, the many flutists who have perfected their technique and musical interpretation with the help of these lovely Fantasias will never forget them.