Reicha, A :: Sonate in G-dur [Sonata in G major] op. 54

Anton Reicha presents the Sonata in G Major for flute and piano.

'The G Major Sonata, published in 1805 under the title Sonata For Pianoforte With The Accompaniment Of Obligato Flute, Op. 54, was completed no later than 22 January 1803 the date Carl van Beethoven, acting as his older brother's secretary, offered it to Breitkopf und Hartel, the eventual publisher. So the work was most likely written in 1802, during Reicha's first year in Vienna. His incipient mastery is evident in the ways he experiments with form. Pastoral in overall tone, the piece is dominated by the opening Allegro, which is large in scale both performances clock in at just over eighteen minutes. A series of diverse episodes are framed by a recurring walking-rhythm motif, and Reicha manages to vary the order and inflection of his reprises in such a way that we hear each theme in close juxtaposition with every other. Though the flute contributes to the musical discourse in a variety of ways leading playfully, recalling an earlier mood, undermining or reinforcing a rhythm the piano predominates, introducing most of the themes and directing their development, sometimes taking long solos. The melodies are sprightly and often memorable.'

- Ron Drummond; Classical.net