Souvenirs of the Lied
Great works by Schubert, Reinecke and von Weber played on period instruments.
In a time that may seem antediluvian, but is not all that distant, musicians specialized in playing on historical instruments, scorned by the proponents of a truth that refused to be challenged. It was not uncommon to hear such unsubstantiated statements as "If Bach had known the piano, if Mozart had known the modern oboe...". Performers who researched organology and historical interpretation were observed with amused, even annoyed, condescension by their colleagues, who had no use for such considerations, which, in their view, were no more than a ridiculous fad. As renowned conductors such as Abbado and Rattle began interpreting Bach and Mozart along the same lines as Harnoncourt, the situation changed...
Today, most musicians are equally adept at playing the contemporary repertoire on a modern instrument and the music of past centuries on a period instrument. Such is the case of Guy Raffalli, who can be appreciated in contemporary works and who, in this recording, swaps his silver flute for the timbre for which Schubert, Reinecke and von Weber wrote, thanks to a wooden flute by Abell. He is accompanied with finesse by Adalberto Riva, who plays the Braschoss piano in the Château de Gruyère. Great pages of the repertoire that are a pleasure to rediscover in a fresh, clear guise. One may be surprised by the relatively slow tempo the performers impose on the variations on Trockne Blumen by Schubert. Quite simply, the musicians remember the original Lied, and leave aside any flashy virtuosity that the poem has no use for. In the same vein, theUndine Reinecke's recording makes clear reference to Friedrich de la Motte-Fouqué's fairy tale, with its enchanted world populated by divinities and knightly heroes. If Carl Maria von Weber's sonata in A flat major is less well known, it's because it was originally written for solo piano. Guy Raffalli remembers this and takes on the role of colorist, adding clarity to the work's architecture.
Guy Raffalli, Flute; Adalberto Riva, Piano. Works by Franz Schubert, Carl Reinecke, Carl Maria von Weber. Gallo CD-1462
