From the Pied Piper to Mozart’s Papageno, the Flute has been imbued with fantastical qualities. Tonight, we’ll pay tribute to this most magical of instruments.
We can trace the Flute in pictographs back to the 10th Century, where it was most often associated with Byzantine goat herders (although it certainly existed in one form or another long before that). Tales of mystery and fantasy often involved the use of the Flute, which was believed to have a magical effect on those who listened to it (probably having something to do with its use to calm and shepherd animals). We’ll begin our Flute tribute with J.S. Bach’s Flute Sonata in e minor; a church sonata that is reminiscent of the St. Matthew Passion. Susan Rotholz is our soloist, accompanied by 18th Century music specialist Kenneth Cooper on the Fortepiano. Then we’ll skip on over to Scotland for some traditional dance tunes for Flute and Harp, arranged by Ransom Wilson (who performs them as well). Mr. Wilson gives us an added bonus with “Black Anemones,” a work written in 1980 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantzer. Originally written for Soprano and Piano, “Black Anemones” draws its inspiration from the poetry of Agueda Pizzaro. We’ll bring our Flute tribute to a close with this tenderly lyrical work, as realized by Mr. Wilson and pianist Brian Zeger.
We can trace the Flute in pictographs back to the 10th Century, where it was most often associated with Byzantine goat herders (although it certainly existed in one form or another long before that). Tales of mystery and fantasy often involved the use of the Flute, which was believed to have a magical effect on those who listened to it (probably having something to do with its use to calm and shepherd animals). We’ll begin our Flute tribute with J.S. Bach’s Flute Sonata in e minor; a church sonata that is reminiscent of the St. Matthew Passion. Susan Rotholz is our soloist, accompanied by 18th Century music specialist Kenneth Cooper on the Fortepiano. Then we’ll skip on over to Scotland for some traditional dance tunes for Flute and Harp, arranged by Ransom Wilson (who performs them as well). Mr. Wilson gives us an added bonus with “Black Anemones,” a work written in 1980 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantzer. Originally written for Soprano and Piano, “Black Anemones” draws its inspiration from the poetry of Agueda Pizzaro. We’ll bring our Flute tribute to a close with this tenderly lyrical work, as realized by Mr. Wilson and pianist Brian Zeger.