Virtuoso fantasies

In keeping with the Verdi year, the Swiss flautist Emmanuel Pahud has presented his Flute Collection with operatic fantasies based on his works, which were written in the 19th century for chamber music and house concerts. Due to Theobald Böhm's technical developments, a new generation of flautists emerged in the mid-19th century who used their virtuosity to dress popular music, such as the "opera hits" of the time, in effective paraphrases and fantasies. On the one hand, Pahud intends to bring these bravura pieces, some of which have fallen into oblivion, back to life in the original version for flute and piano, and on the other, he has recognized that they are also suitable as flute concertos, so he had Yoel Gamzou prepare an orchestral accompaniment for all the works.

With the Fantasy on "La Traviata" are the popular arrangements by the renowned Italian flautists Emanuele Krakamp and Giulio Briccialdi, both of whom were also active as composers. For the new edition, Yoel Gamzou has combined their two versions into one whole. The individual sections always begin with familiar themes, which are then soon lavishly embellished with garlands.

The Fantasy on "Rigoletto" for two flutes and piano was composed by the brothers Karl and Franz Doppler, who were internationally renowned as traveling flute virtuosos in the 19th century and probably performed this piece on their concert tours. The fantasy also contains the famous soprano aria Caro nome di lui si amatowhich in the opera is played by two flutes in the slow opening theme. The two flute parts are often skillfully led in sweet sixths and alternate with the theme and virtuoso orchestration, so that two equal instrumental parts face each other. This fantasy is also dynamically graded in an interesting way and therefore has a very colorful effect.

The processing of the Lensky's aria from Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin", whose range extends from a low B to a four-note C, lives more from its expressive melody than from virtuoso passages. The version goes back to an arrangement from the 1920s by Leopold Auer for violin and piano and was revised and edited for flute and piano by Guy Braunstein, the current concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. This work now also enriches the repertoire for flutists.

Giuseppe Verdi , Fantasia on "La Traviata" for flute and piano after the fantasies by Emanuele Karakamp and Giulio Briccialdi arranged by Yoel Gamzou, (The Flute collection UE 35314, € 22.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2012

Giuseppe Verdi/Franz and Karl Doppler, Fantasy on "Rigoletto" for two flutes and piano, UE 35315, € 24.95

Peter Ilyich Tsaikovsky, Lensky's aria from the opera "Eugene Onegin", arranged for flute and piano by Guy Braunstein, UE 35313, € 18.95