Some great new materials have come in at the NFA office, and I was lucky enough to snag them for review! Here are my favorites from this fall's treasures:
Klezmer Flute Duets by Michael Lösch (Universal Edition)
Traditional Klezmer songs in this collection include Mazel Tov, Oyfn Veg Shteyt a Boym, Klezmeron,
and L’Chaim. In total, there are
thirteen duets, all of which engage both flutists equally. They would prove
somewhat technically challenging – and quite rhythmically challenging—for
advanced high school or early college students, but they are also entirely
enjoyable to play as a professional. Harmonies are generally tight, with a lot
of the parts written in 3rds and 4ths to each other, and the overall range of
the book spans from C1 to G3. Everything lays well under the fingers and
has been intelligently arranged for two C flutes.
Album for Flute Quartet or Flute Ensemble; Band B: French composers – Impressionism
Arr. Raphaëlle Zaneboni (Edition Diewa)
This album includes arrangements of Ravel’s Suite Ma Mère
l’Oye and Daphnis et Chloé Suite, and Debussy’s “Children’s
Corner”: Golliwogg’s Cakewalk and The Little Shepherd. Instrumentation
varies by piece, but overall the album calls for 1-2 piccolos doubling flute, two
addition C flutes, an alto flute, and up to two possible bass flutes (both of
which can also be played on C flute). Designations in the score advise on how
to condense each piece into a convincing quartet if a minimum of six people are
not available to play every part. There is no simplification of parts in these
arrangements (even the opening material of Daphnis
includes all those traded 32nd notes from the original!), so all
players must be musically as well as technically mature to really do the album
justice. Voicing is intelligently arranged on every piece, and the result is
sheer beauty in color and depth, regardless of ensemble size.
We have had great fun working on these arrangements in my college
flute ensemble, and I greatly appreciate the wonderful musical exercise they
represent for my students, in addition to the artistic merit of each as a
concert piece. I cannot recommend this collection highly enough.
Waltz of the Wolves by Wil Offermans (Musikverlag Zimmerman)
In Waltz of the
Wolves, Wil Offermans has written a clever and humorous duet appropriate
for advanced students looking to begin exploring the world of extended
techniques. Timbral trills and a “howl”
(in which the performer covers the embouchure hole with the mouth and howls
into the headjoint) imitate wintry winds and the wolves outside, respectively,
and are easy to execute. This piece was commissioned by the Netherlands Flute
Academy for its founding faculty, Suzanne Wolff and Emily Benyon.
Parts are evenly traded so that both flutists play
everything that has been written, from the slinky waltz melody at the top of
the staff to the “oompah” part written into the low register. The range spans from low C to third octave A.
There is some very manageable mixed meter (6/8 to 4/4, maintaining the eighth
note) and one tempo change in the middle. Offermans employs good tone painting
in both his melodic writing and his use of minimal extended techniques, and the
howling sound is sure to get a chuckle out of an audience. A sight-readable
treat for a professional recital or a fun challenge for a pre-college student,
I find Waltz of the Wolves utterly
charming and highly recommend it as an addition to your libraries.
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