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CD: Crotchet
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Joachim Andersen has become one of the legendary names in the world of the flute, along with the likes of Marcel Moyse, Paul Taffanel and Philippe Gaubert. His compositional output for the flute includes salon pieces, academic exercises, opera transcriptions and fantasy pieces. His studies range from moderately easy to extremely technically challenging. Andersen’s performing career included several years as a founding member and principal flute in the Berlin Philharmonic, where he worked with Brahms, Strauss, Grieg, von Bülow and Tchaikovsky. He often performed as soloist with the orchestra. He later returned to Copenhagen where he worked to develop concert life.
 
The complete flute and piano works are recorded here as part of a series of seven discs by Thomas Jensen and Frode Stengard (see review of Volume 7). This is a project created by the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, where Jensen and Stengaard are associate professors.
 
In the current musical climate, salon pieces have possibly lost some relevance. They are rarely performed in the way that they were intended. The days of the family crowding around the piano for a musical evening seem to be long gone and are far removed from our culture of television and celebrity. Some of Andersen’s works still make it onto the concert platform, although this particular disc does not contain many of his most well-known works.
 
This disc does, however, include the opera transcription of Mozart’s Magic Flute. It is an enjoyable re-working of some of the main themes from the opera which uses the flute’s singing tone at its best. Also here is the transcription from the less well known French comic opera, La Dame Blanche by Boieldieu, which was extremely popular in the nineteenth century.
 
There are often complex displays of technique in Andersen’s music, as demonstrated here in the final movement, Schmetterling (butterfly) of the Drei Salonstücke. These short pieces are charming and display style and character, as well as giving some indication of Andersen’s abilities as a performer. The Idylle of the Vier Salonstücke [track 8] shows Andersen’s love of beautiful melodies, and this is a true gem in the repertoire. The contrasting Jagdstück (Hunting piece) characterizes fast-moving horses and the sound of hunting horns.
 
The Fantaisies Nationales are a set of six works which are formed around folk-tunes from their chosen country. This disc includes the Danish and Russian Fantasies; the others feature Scotland, Sweden, Italy and Hungary.
 
The playing on this recording is of a consistently high standard and Jensen’s singing tone and flawless technique is a fitting tribute to Andersen’s music. Stengaard accompanies sympathetically and the duo combines to give an excellent overall product.
 
Carla Rees
 

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