Charming Mozart variations
Mozart's piano variations of the well-known French song are presented here in a successful arrangement for two flutes.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the piano variations Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman K 300e (265) in 1778 as a Ariette avec variations pour le clavecin ou Pianoforte on the occasion of a concert tour to Paris. From well-known Mozart operas such as The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro arrangements for two flutes were already being made around 1800. It is therefore obvious that these well-known piano variations should also be arranged for this instrumentation. This arrangement by Peter Kolman endeavors to remain largely true to the original and finds elegant solutions to reduce the mostly polyphonic piano part.
In theme and variation 1, the parts are divided between the first and second flutes. Variation 3 takes the outer parts and omits the middle parts. In variation 6, the editor has dispensed with the chordal realization in the right hand and octaved the left hand. In the 7th variation, the piano parts have been taken over. The minor variation 8 and variation 9 are set much less densely than in the original. However, there are also passages in variations 10 and 12 which are octavated in such a way that the upper voice reaches the four-note a and c, which is atypical for Mozart's flute compositions and could possibly have been solved in a more stylistically appropriate way. The Adagio, Variation 11, sounds extremely attractive with the cantabile melody in the first flute.
Peter Kolman recommends swapping the parts in each variation, especially if both players have the same technical skills. All in all, the arrangement can certainly be compared with other duet arrangements of well-known works by Mozart and is an enrichment of the duet literature for flute.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Variations on the French song "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" for 2 flutes KV 300e (265), arranged for 2 flutes by Peter Kolman, UE 17297, € 11.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2016
