The Fantasies for flute and harp in the 19th Century are a testament to the beauty and emotional range of these two classical instruments. It offers a refreshing departure from the more commonly performed repertoire and provides a fascinating exploration of the lesser-known Fantasies that deserve a special place in the hearts of classical music aficionados. This album unveils a collection of rarely explored musical gems that shimmer with otherworldly beauty, inviting listeners to lose themselves in the enchanting embrace of each composition. This collection of five Fantasies showcases the incredible versatility and expressive capabilities of the flute and harp, two instruments that have been captivating audiences for centuries. They have been carefully curated to highlight the rich musical landscape of the 19th century, a time of profound artistic expression and innovation. The pieces featured on this album offer an enthralling blend of lyricism, virtuosity, and emotive storytelling. The seamless blend of these two instruments evokes a sense of intimacy and charm, allowing the listener to delve into the nuanced expressions that only the flute and harp can deliver. The carefully crafted and virtuosic performances showcase the technical brilliance of the musicians, while also maintaining a deep sense of musicality and sensitivity to the works’ emotional core.
The five Fantasies are very different from each other. Three of them, Fantasia su temi dell’opera Casilda by Franz Doppler and Antonio Zamara, Fantasia su temi di Bellini by Joseph Fahrbach and Elias Parish-Alvars, and Fantasia per flauto e arpa op. 67 by Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, are written on opera themes, a custom very much in vogue in the nineteenth century. The Fantasia op. 35 n. 1 per flauto e arpa by Louis Drouet is written on a popular theme of Swiss culture entitled Ranz des Vaches. The last one, Il Pifferaro fantasia per flauto e arpa, is composed on themes devised by the composer Cesare Ciardi.
Anton Bernhard Fürstenau, a German musician born at the end on the eighteenth century in Münster, composed the Fantasia per flauto e arpa op. 67 in 1828. The main theme of the Fantasy is taken from the Opera Der Freischütz, composed by Carl Maria von Weber, with whom Fürstenau was a close friend. Fürstenau was an excellent flutist; he is considered the most famous virtuoso in Germany on his instrument and the most important Romantic flutist of the first half of the nineteenth century. Although this Fantasia is composed and dedicated to harpist Mademoiselle Therese de Winckel, it is clear how sophisticated and complex the writing of the flute part is. One only has to listen to the introduction or the third variation to realise how much virtuosity for the flute is present in this Fantasy. The harp plays mainly an accompanying role, with the exception of the second variation in which it is the protagonist. Fürstenau does not limit himself to virtuosity; the composition gives listeners melodic and dreamy musical moments.
Il Pifferaro, fantasia per flauto e arpa composed in 1872 by Cesare Ciardi, an Italian composer born in Prato in 1818, is based on melodies invented by the composer. The Fantasy consists of three sections: Allegretto, Larghetto and Allegro molto – Tempo di Tarantella. The introduction is given to the harp; the flute intervenes with its melodic design on an ostinato rhythm of the harp. The Larghetto is the melodic and expressive section of the Fantasy. The flute is entrusted with the melody, which is supported and completed by the harp accompaniment. A brief fragment of the first theme comes back and it works as a bridge between the Larghetto and the Allegro molto – Tempo di Tarantella. The last movement is composed on the rhythm of the Neapolitan dance of the Tarantella: it is joyful, lively and rhythmic.
Fantasia su temi di Bellini per flauto e arpa is the result of the collaboration of two artists: the Austrian flutist Joseph Fahrbach and the British harpist Elias Parish-Alvars, known as the Liszt of the harp. It is not easy to say how close the two composers worked together, but both were able to achieve that right style that manages to appropriately bring out the peculiarities of both instruments, creating a perfect harmony between them. The themes of the Fantasy are based on the opera I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini; the Fantasy opens with a Maestoso in which the unique characteristics of the two instruments are immediately brought out. This is followed by the Tema – Andantino and three variations composed in a virtuoso and brilliant character in which the technical qualities of the two instruments are extolled. The Finale is entrusted to a Tempo di Polacca that is also lively and brilliant: it gets faster and faster to conclude the Fantasy in an explosion of vivacity.
Fantasia op. 35 n. 1 per flauto e arpa was composed by the French flutist Louis Drouet around 1820 and it is the first one of the three Fantasies for flute and harp composed and dedicate to Mademoiselle Emma Agassiz. He was a great flutist and a great virtuoso of his time; for instance, he developed an excellent technique in the realisation of the double tonguing and he was called the Paganini of the flute. Doubtlessly, his ease of playing difficult and virtuosic passages is clearly evident in his compositions for flute. This Fantasy opens with an introduction that is calm and cantabile and leads, after a Cadenza of the harp, to the main theme of the composition. The Theme is based on a simple melody used by the shepherds in the Swiss Alps to call and guide their herds: it is called Ranz des Vaches or Kuhreihen, Call to the Cows. The shepherds were used to play it on the horn or to sing it. Even though the theme is very simple in its structural and composition, Drouet was able to create around it sophisticated, complexed and demanding variations for the flute part, leaving an accompanying role to the harp.
As well as for the Fantasia su temi di Bellini per flauto e arpa, also the Fantasia su temi dell’opera Casilda was created thanks to the collaboration between two composers, virtuoso musicians of their own instruments: Austrian flutist Franz Doppler and Austrian harpist Antonio Zamara. This work is dedicated to Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as a sign of great deference, as the two composers were inspired for the composition of this Fantasy by the themes of the opera Casilda composed in 1851 by Duke Ernest II himself. The Fantasy opens with a Maestoso, characterised by broad arpeggios in the harp and short cadenzas in the flute. A continuous dialogue occurs between the two instruments: they exchange melodic phrases with accompanying elements. The introduction is followed by an Allegro brillante, a light, lively, fast and bright moment. The following section is a Bolero: even here flute and harp converse and exchange melodic phrases. A harp Cadenza leads to Andantino, the central lyrical moment of the Fantasy. An Allegro concludes the fantasy with great energy and liveliness.
Valentina Vatteroni © 2023