RECORDING OF THE MONTH RECORDING OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A London Symphony Oboe Concerto £11 post free World-wide RACHMANINOV Elegy, Preludes, Piano concerto 3 £12 post free World-wide CHAUSSON, DEBUSSY RACHMANINOV TRios 2CDs £16 post free World-wide

BUY NOW  AmazonUK   AmazonUS

Philippe GAUBERT (1879-1941) Complete Works for Flute – Volume 3 Deux esquisses [6.38] Nocturne et allegro scherzando [5.38] Sicilienne [2.56] Romance (1905) [7.07] Baroque and Classical Transcriptions by Philippe Gaubert [31.05] Romance (1908) Assez lent [3.44] Fantasie [6.49] Sur l’eau [3.28] Ballade [6.17] Berceuse [3.30] Fenwick Smith (flute) Sally Pinkas (piano) rec. Sonic Temple, Roslindale, Massachusetts, April 2003 and January 2004 NAXOS 8.557307 [77.13]

The Naxos-Gaubert edition has now reached Volume 3 and whatever else may be said about the quality and level of inspiration of the compositions, executant standards are certainly well maintained (see reviews of Volume 1 - CMT & RH - and Volume 2 - GPJ). This is a difficult disc to assess because at its heart lies a long sequence of transcriptions – heard here in their first ever recording – the nourishment of which will depend entirely on one’s largesse toward flute and piano editions of Boccherini’s Minuet, Gluck’s Orfeo (Minuet and Dance inevitably), some Lully and the like. These Baroque and Classical transcriptions were written for publication by Leduc – Gaubert eventually contributed thirty – and whatever opportunities they may have given the amateur flautist then (publication was in 1927) they now seem, once again perhaps invariably, more than somewhat faded in charm.   Elsewhere we find the elite flautist-composer showing distinct Debussyan longings. Soir sur la plaine, the first of Deux esquisses is undated but doffs its impressionist cap to the Faune; the second, an Orientale, makes somewhat insipid moves towards the evocative East. The Nocturne et allegro scherzando is one of those familiarly bipartite conservatoire test pieces – a slow introduction testing legato and colour followed by an allegro of sharp corners and some difficulty. His Sicilienne owes a debt to Fauré but the 1905 Romance, whilst lyrically attractive, is overstretched.   The impressionist reappears strongly in the 1908 Romance but there’s something altogether stronger and more personal in the Fantaisie which sports a fine cadenza and a slightly backward looking late nineteenth century Test Piece ethos. Finally there’s an affectionate Lullaby to provide easeful leave taking.   Quite a deal of this is editorial bread and butter work – the Transcriptions amount to a good half an hour’s worth – but there’s enough stylistic density to keep routine at bay. But it’s mainly for flautists, completists and Gaubertists, or combinations thereof.   Jonathan Woolf BUY NOW  AmazonUK   AmazonUS       Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.