Grand Sonatas for Flute = PIERNE: Sonata Op. 36; GADE: Sonata No. 2, Op. 21; PROKOFIEV: Sonata No. 2, Op. 94 – Hans-Udo Heinzman, flute/ Elisaveta Blumina, piano – Genuin 10173, 59:37 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:
This is a lovely album of transcribed pieces from the original violin, with the exception of the Prokofiev which goes the other way, Igor Oistrakh asking the composer to make a version for him. The Pierne (1863-1937), a man who studied with Franck but was more in sync with his friends Debussy, Roussel, d’Indy, Faure, and Ravel, crafted a very impressionistic work that beautifully transfers to the flute. Most of the French works do, actually, as they are not so heavily dependent on stopping, though sometimes extreme range does get in the way. Not here; Pierne himself made the changes.
Niels Gade (1817-1890) is a relatively unknown composer though this has been changing in recent years. He is regarded as the father of Danish music, though I’ll wager no father was ever so ignored, and was also a great friend of Mendelssohn and Schumann, and was successor to the former at the Gewandhaus Orchestra after Mendelssohn’s death. His three sonatas are mostly neglected now, and this arrangement by Frankfurt composer Karl Muller was made during Gade’s lifetime, one would assume implicitly with his knowledge and approval. This is an elegant and passionate work that deserves more air time.
Prokofiev wrote perhaps his most cheerful wartime work around 1941 in Perm in the Ural Mountains during the German attack on Russia. The music is almost frivolous in its airy and unconcerned manner, never ceasing for one moment to fail to entertain us in the most amusing and engaging way. Though I think I still prefer Nadina Mackie-Jackson’s version on bassoon, this one is quite sprightly and lacks any pretense whatsoever.
Mr. Heinzman is the Principal Flute for the NDR Radio Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg, while also teaching at Hochschule fur Muisk und Theater in that same city. His tone is sparkling and light, completely at ease with this music and well-suited to it. Ms. Blumina provides ample support in music that demands quite a lot from the pianist. The sound is well-balanced and spacious, providing good imaging of each instrument. Check before you buy though; this disc might be a little pricey.
— Steven Ritter
