Late Romantic Suite
For once, Charles-Marie Widor has devoted himself not to the organ but to the flute.
The French pianist and organist Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) is primarily known for his organ works, although his oeuvre also includes a great deal of chamber music. However, only the Suite op. 34 for flute and piano was as successful as the compositions for organ because it possibly closes a gap in the late Romantic works in the flute repertoire.
One of the best-known pieces from it is the third movement, the "Romance", which is somewhat reminiscent of the Three romances for flute and piano by Robert Schumann op. 94. This movement is also included in the Orchestral Suite op. 64 and was arranged there by Widor himself for solo flute and orchestra. The well-known flautist Georges Barrère had asked the composer to orchestrate the entire suite, but he refused, whereupon Barrère then orchestrated the Scherzo himself and often performed both movements with orchestral accompaniment.
The composition was probably published by Hamelle in Paris in 1885 or 1886 and was then included in the Heugel publishing house's program in 1897. The work was subsequently revised by the composer himself and extended in the finale. As the manuscript source is missing, the revised version forms the source for the Henle Urtext edition. It also enriches the range of previous editions through its design, for example, the printed music is clear and easy to read, and is also extended with fold-out pages to "enable easy leafing through", as the publisher writes. At the end of the edition, the editor points out inconsistencies in phrasing, articulation and dynamics within the various versions. The piano part was provided with fingerings by Klaus Schilde.
Charles-Marie Widor, Suite op. 34 for flute and piano, Urtext edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann, HN 1218, € 16.00, G. Henle, Munich 2014
