The transverse flute
was one of the most popular instruments
in the second half of the 18th century,
in particular among amateurs, the so-called
'Liebhaber'. In consequence, there was
a huge demand for music for the transverse
flute, and as a result we see a large
production of chamber music with flute.
Haydn didn't compose
much for the transverse flute. The four
trios recorded here were written during
his second visit to England in 1794
and 1795. It is thought that at least
some of them were specifically written
for two aristocratic friends of his,
the Earl of Abingdon and the Baron of
Aston. In the first print of Trios 1
and 2 both gentlemen are mentioned as
addressees. The Earl of Abingdon was
the addressee of the second trio: he
was an avid flute player and composer,
and the andante of this trio uses one
of his melodies: 'The Lady's Mirror'.
Although this music
was written for, and therefore expected
to be played by, the above-mentioned
aristocrats, this doesn't mean these
pieces are that easy. They show that
the playing skills of the 'Liebhaber'
in those days were considerable.
Composing and publishing
music for the flute was also a way to
increase someone's income. Carl Stamitz,
once a key figure of the so-called 'Mannheim
School', was without a steady job at
the time the pieces played here were
published, in 1785. He just travelled
around playing and teaching. In those
years he could be found in many places
in Europe including Strasbourg, St Petersburg,
Berlin and also London. Being a violinist
by profession the transverse flute wasn't
his main interest, but writing music
for the growing number of people looking
for new repertoire for their favourite
instrument was a way to increase his
income. But it didn't prevent his belongings
being auctioned after his death to pay
for his debts.
Although all the music
on this disc belongs to the category
of entertainment, the best composers
of the time were eager to probe beneath
the surface now and then. In Haydn's
Trio in C the final movement contains
a chromatic passage which represents
a 'passus duriusculus', a baroque rhetorical
figure expressing sadness. And the middle
movement (andante poco moderato) of
Stamitz's trio contains a dark passage
in C minor.
The trios by Haydn
are rather well-known and available
in other recordings. Here they get a
good performance, although sometimes
I would have wanted the tempi a little
brisker and the articulation a little
sharper. The main interest of this disc
is in the pieces by Stamitz, which -
as far as I know - have never been recorded
before, certainly not on period instruments.
And considering their qualities, which
are eloquently demonstrated by the interpreters,
they are well worth listening to.
Johan van Veen
Lesley Holliday, Peter Harrison, transverse flute;
Rachel Gray, cello 
