From Borodin to Prokofiev

Almost all of the pieces by Russian composers selected for this edition are well-known melodies that one encounters again and again as "classical hits". For example, the waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet Sleeping Beauty and a famous theme and the dance of the little swans from Swan Lake.

In his arrangements for two flutes, Arnold W. Zamarin took care to "divide the themes of the pieces equally between the two parts in order to make the playing varied for both players". In addition to the works by Tchaikovsky, compositions by Borodin such as the Dance of the Polovtsian Girls into the collection. The waltz from the Jazz Suite No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich has been reduced to the melody and bass parts and is already easy to play after 1-2 years of lessons. Prokofiev's compositions, on the other hand, are much more demanding. Zamarin has also arranged a duo version of the Sabre dance by Aram Khachaturian, which, played at the appropriate tempo, does justice to the character of the composition. But slow, melodious pieces such as the Song of India by Rimsky-Korsakov are included in the collection. His virtuoso composition Flight of the bumblebee also forms the conclusion of this successful and enjoyable collection, which enables flautists to play well-known pieces by Russian composers as a duo.

Classical Favorites from Russia, easy to moderately difficult arrangements of well-known Russian operas and ballets for two flutes by Arnold W. Zamarin, UE 36 728, € 16.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2016