Reinecke, Franck, Schumann: Chamber Music for Flute and Piano
Composer(s): Carl Reinecke, Robert Schumann, César Franck
Artist(s): Raffaele Trevisani, Flute | Paola Girardi, Piano
Instrumentation: Flute, Piano
Period: Romantic
Reinecke, Franck, Schumann: Chamber Music for Flute and Piano quantity
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Carl Reinecke, César Franck, Robert Schumann
Paola Girardi, Raffaele Trevisani
Flute, Piano
FROM ALBUM NOTES by Edmondo Filippini:
The collective imagination of Romanticism still has today an artistic and musical perspective whose core is the continuous struggle between the sublime, inexpressible in words, and the transcendental, therefore tangibly inexpressible. An opposition dating back to the 12th century Sturm und Drang: the tension to everything that cannot have verbal expression and that only in the art of sounds can be fully satisfied. It originated the typical German Sehnsucht partly affecting the whole eighteenth century aesthetic. […] (Translation by Marco Beccari)
Carl Reinecke: (b Altona, 23 June 1824; d Leipzig, 10 March 1910). German composer, teacher, administrator, pianist and conductor. He was given a thorough musical education by his father, J.P. Rudolf Reinecke (b Hamburg, 22 Nov 1795; d Segeberg, 14 Aug 1883), a respected music theoretician and author of several textbooks. From 1845 Reinecke travelled through Europe, from Danzig to Riga; in Copenhagen he was appointed court pianist in 1846, where his duties included accompanying the violinist H.W. Ernst as well as giving solo recitals. He was given a particularly friendly reception in Leipzig by Mendelssohn and the Schumanns, and Liszt, whose daughter was later taught by Reinecke in Paris, spoke of his 'beautiful, gentle, legato and lyrical touch'. In 1851 he moved to Cologne, where he taught counterpoint and the piano at Hiller's conservatory. He also gave concerts with Hiller, who recommended him to Barmen. There as musical director and the conductor of several musical societies between 1854 and 1859, he significantly raised the standard of the town's musical life. He then spent ten months in Breslau as director of music at the university and conductor of the Singakademie. By 1860 his growing reputation brought him an appointment to teach at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he became the director in 1897. By selecting capable teachers who shared his conservative views and by improving the facilities and the syllabus, Reinecke transformed the conservatory into one of the most renowned in Europe. Grieg, Kretzschmar, Kwast, Muck, Riemann, Sinding, Svendsen, Sullivan and Weingartner were all pupils there; and to this distinguished list could be added many other names of equal repute, showing how exaggerated was the reproach, made particularly in north Germany, that Leipzig was a hotbed of reaction (although this criticism had some justification after 1880). But it cannot be denied that Reinecke considered it his responsibility as director to perpetuate the example of the Classical composers; he was very conscious of his position as a representative and guardian of tradition, and also made it his business to foster the music of the pre-Classical composers, particularly Bach, even exploring as far back as Palestrina. He was a sympathetic teacher who firmly believed in the necessity of a thorough grounding. In Leipzig, he was also the conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra until 1895 (when Nikisch succeeded him); a stern disciplinarian, he achieved a high standard of virtuosity from his players by his insistence on clarity of execution. Reinecke became a member of the Berlin Academy in 1875, received the honorary doctorate in 1884 and became a professor in 1885. He retired in 1902, though his creative work continued until the end of his life. As a composer Reinecke was best known for his numerous piano compositions, representing virtually every musical form of the time and, despite being influenced by Mendelssohn's melodic style, was stylistically nearer to Schumann. The exercises for young pianists and the piano sonatinas have become classics because of their charming melodies, as have the canons and nursery rhymes which are highly inventive and totally free from bourgeois sentimentality. Reinecke was a master of the so-called 'Hausmusik' and of the simpler forms popular at the time. His chamber music is distinguished and, in the later works in particular, attains a Brahmsian majesty and warmth within a variety of forms. His sonata for flute and piano, Undine, is his most frequently performed work. His most successful concertos are those for flute and for harp, and the first and third for piano, which well display his pleasant melodic sense and his admirable ear for orchestration; the piano concertos avoid grand soloistic mannerisms, and his own style of playing, with hands still and fingers curved, reflected his belief in classical practice. Of his three symphonies, the first employs small forces, while the second is a cyclically organized work on a grand scale. His operas, despite their Wagnerian trappings, were not successful; his better-known musical fairy tales, based in part on his own texts (written under the name Heinrich Carsten), were composed in a tasteful folk-style. Gifted in many fields, he was also a talented painter and poet. His lucidly written books and essays contain many observations still of interest.
César Franck: (b Liège, 10 Dec 1822; d Paris, 8 Nov 1890). French composer, teacher and organist of Belgian birth. He was one of the leading figures of French musical life during the second half of the 19th century.
Robert Schumann: (b Zwickau, Saxony, 8 June 1810; d Endenich, nr Bonn, 29 July 1856). German composer and music critic. While best remembered for his piano music and songs, and some of his symphonic and chamber works, Schumann made significant contributions to all the musical genres of his day and cultivated a number of new ones as well. His dual interest in music and literature led him to develop a historically informed music criticism and a compositional style deeply indebted to literary models. A leading exponent of musical Romanticism, he had a powerful impact on succeeding generations of European composers.
Girardi, Paola (Pianist) studied at the "Civica Scuola di Musica" in Milan with Lucia Romanini Marzorati, graduating with honors, in 1978, from the "G. Verdi" Conservatory in Milan at the young age of 17. She won numerous competitions for young artists, among which: The National Young Pianist Competition in Bari and the International Competition in Senigallia. She then completed postgraduate studies with Maria Tipo and Konstantin Bogino, and also studied with Paul Badura-Skoda attending the "O. Respighi" Academy in Assisi and the Chigiana Academy in Siena, where she received a diploma with honors. Pursuing her interest in chamber music, Ms. Girardi has studied with the Tchaikowsky Trio, the Quartetto Academica, the Fine Arts Quartet and the Trio of Trieste. During her career, she has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Maxence Larrieu and Ilya Grubert, of which she has also been pianist for their postgraduate courses in Italy and abroad. Ms. Girardi has also been official pianist, together with Phillip Moll, for James Galway's International Summer courses held in Weggis (Switzerland) and Dublin from 1990 to 2008. She plays regularly with Raffaele Trevisani, giving concerts in Europe, USA and Japan. She is also her partner in several CDs recorded for Delos International. She's piano teacher at the "International Academy of Music" of the Foundation of the Civic School of Milan.
Trevisani, Raffaele (Flutist) virtuosic technique and brilliant musical personality are consistently praised by the public and critics. Raffaele Trevisani studied with Sir James Galway who regards him as "…one of the best flutist of the day for his beautiful singing tone, perfect technique and dedication to the art of music..". He also received unanimous appreciations from Jean Pierre Rampal, Maxence Larrieu and Julius Baker. Long time before receiving his diploma from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, he quickly became the young student of Sir James Galway, studying privately with him. For four years (1984-1988) he collaborated with the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala in Milan and for the last thirty years, Mr Trevisani has been performing all over the world. Maestro Trevisani began his solo career with I Solisti Veneti, performing in numerous prestigious concert series in Italy and around the world. He has also performed as a soloist with the Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, I Cameristi della Scala, I Solisti della Scala, Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Kammerorchester "Arcata" Stuttgart, Bielefelder Philarmoniker and many others. He has played all over the world for the most important musical Societies and Festivals. He performed in many prestigious halls such as Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Wigmore Hall in London, Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Bunkakaikan and Suntory Hall in Tokio. He has participated in well-known music festivals such as Settimane Musicali in Stresa, Settembre Musica in Turin, Rheingau Music Festival, Miagi Music Festival and for the celebrations of "Ten years of freedom" in South Africa. He has been invited to play and give master classes in Europe, Japan, USA, South Africa and in the most prestigious flute festivals around the world (Boston, Frankfurt, Detroit, Chicago, Rome, Las Vegas, Milano, New York). He is a Delos recording artist, a worldwide recognized label company for highest achievement in quality recording and has recorded for the Italian RAI, the German SDR, the Japanese NHK, the English BBC, the Russian Television and the Brazilian Television; moreover, Globo Brazilian Television and RAI Corporation Television in New York (for the program "Italiani in America") have dedicated to him specials with interviews and live concerts. He has been invited to play duo concerts with Maxence Larrieu and with Sir James Galway for the Italian Television. Raffaele Trevisani plays a 14 carat gold Muramatsu flute belonged to Sir James Galway and a 14 carat gold Powell flute.
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