Perform
Works by Giuliani, Gossec, Ravel, Milhaud, Godard, Poulenc & Bartok
SIDE 1
MAURO GIULIANI (1781-1829)
Grosse Sonate for Flute and Guitar, Op. 85
1. Allegro maestoso
2. Andante molto sostenuto
3. Scherzo
4. Allegretto espressivo
FRANCOIS-JOSEPH GOSSEC (1734-1829)
5. Tambourin
(Transcribed by Eliot Fisk)
MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937
6. Piece en forme de habanera
(Transcribed by Eliot Fisk)
DARIUS MILHAUD (1892-1974)
7. Corcovado
(Transcribed by Arthur Levering)
BENJAMIN GODARD (1849-1895)
8. Allegretto from the Suite de trois morceaux, Op. 116
(Transcribed by Eliot Fisk)
FRANCIS POULENC (1899-1963)
9. Trois mouvements perpetuels
(Transcribed by Arthur Levering)
(Assez modere- Tres modere-Alerte
BELA BARTOK (1881-1945)
10. Rumanian Folk Dances
(Transcribed by Arthur Levering)
Joe cu bata (Stick Dance)
Braul (Waistband Dance)
Pe lac (Stamping Dance)
Buciumeana (Hornpipe Dance)
Poarga romaneasca (Rumanian Polka)
Maruntel (Quick Dance)
Eliot Fisk, Guitar
Carol Wincenc, Flute
Of all instrumental combinations few are a, colorful and engaging as guitar and flute. The harmonic richness and tonal clarity of this particular stringed instrument perfectly complement the melodic agility and timbre of the flute. More and more, composer are being drawn to write for this medium, but for the present, the dearth of original works of high quality makes transcriptions an absolute necessity. Thus, one entire side of this recording is devoted to music which originally was written for other instruments.
In choosing works suitable for transcribing, obvious parameters such as range, key, texture, etc., need to be considered, but much more to the point is the overall effect of the music in its new guise: a transcription should sound as natural and idiomatic as the original. No less important, however, is the need to be scrupulously faithful to the source material, and, bearing this in mind, it is clear that the choice of music which can realistically be adapted for flute and guitar is limited. Although symphonies and string quartets may be inappropriate, there are vast numbers of musical treasures to be found among the solo pieces and small chamber works of great composers, and it is from these areas of musical composition that the six transcriptions presented here are taken.
The single work on this recording which is not a transcription is Mauro Giuliani's Grosse Sonate for flute and guitar, op. 85. Giuliani (1781-1829) was one of a group of guitar virtuoso-composers who flourished in the capitals of Europe during the first half of the 19th century. The work begins with a movement in sonata-allegro form which, except for a somewhat awkward modulation in the development section, contains excellent writing for both instruments. The Andante is an operatically conceived serenade in A B A form. True to the vocal tradition, the repeat of the A section finds the melody highly ornamented. There follows a Scherzo of considerable wit and humor and, finally, an Allegretto rich in melodic invention, combining elements of rondo and sonata-allegro form. Although a substantial amount of music was written for flute and guitar during this period, this sonata stands out as one of the few effective large-scale works.
Francois-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829) had a long and successful career in France composing sacred works, comic operas, symphonies, and chamber music. In addition, he was a member of the orchestra of La Poupliniere under the direction of both Jean-Philippe Rameau and Johann Stamitz.
During the Revolutionary period, he was highly regarded as a composer of patriotic music and eventually was made a director of the Paris Conservatoire. The tambourin is a little French character piece popular in the 18th century which was intended to imitate the sound of the ancient instrumental combination of pipe and tabor. In this very effective transcription by Mr. Fisk, the guitar simulates the sound of the drum and accompanies the quick and cheerful melody of the "pipe."
Maurice Ravel's Piece en forme de habanera is perhaps best known in a transcription for violin and piano, although several other arrangements of the work also exist. It originally was written, however, as the Vocalise-Elude en forme de habanera (1907) for wordless voice and piano, and was commissioned by a professor of singing at the Paris Conservatoire to introduce his students to contemporary vocal writing. Marked "Presque lent et avec indolence," the work begins in the accompaniment, which introduces the dotted rhythm of the habanera in octaves. Sensuous chords are heard in a triplet pattern which is echoed throughout the composition in both the melody and the accompaniment. The flutist (originally, the vocalist) is called upon to
execute trills and rapid scales in melodic writing of great sophistication.
During the First World War, Darius Milhaud spent two years as secretary of the French ambassador in Brazil and his exposure to the popular music there had a profound influence on his subsequent compositions.
The Saudades do Brazil (Reminiscences of Brazil) are a set of 12 piano pieces (also orchestrated by the composer), each be2ring the name of a district of Rio de Janeiro. At the suggestion of composer David Lang, I have transcribed one of the most popular of these, Corcovado, for flute and guitar. In contrast to the exotic atmosphere and complexity of Ravel's habanera, Milhaud's little tango (the two dances are closely related) is decidedly straightforward and lighthearted -- altogether much closer to its popular dance roots. The charm of this composition lies in its spicy dissonances realized through the use of one of Milhaud's favorite devices: polytonality. Thus, while the bass line proceeds in the rhythm characteristic of this dance, one or occasionally two voices are heard above it in different keys, creating some surprising passages, especially when the keys are distantly related. Indeed, by the end of the piece, the initial juxtaposition of A major and
E major (G major and D major in the original score) seems quite tame.
Benjamin Louis Paul Godard (1849-1895) was a French composer of opera, symphony, and chamber music. Although most of his music is no longer performed, the Suite de trois morceaux, for flute and piano, is still quite popular, and it is the first movement of this work which Mr. Fisk has transcribed. Primarily a display piece for the flute, this Allegretto has a continuous motion which is interrupted only once, rather dramatically, near the midway point. Here, the flute has a series of trills and octave leaps which ascend chromatically, gaining in intensity, while the accompaniment modulates back to the tonic key of B-flat. The syncopated chords which make up the piano part adapted quite readily to the guitar although, as is the case with many transcriptions a scordatura, (alternated tuning) was required on the instrument.
Although Francis Poulenc was reportedly not fond of his Trois mouvements perpetuels, thinking them too shallow to be interesting, they were a popular success from the moment of publication and are among his most performed works. Composed for piano in 1918 (revised 1939), these three charming
and witty pieces reflect a sensibility at odds with the 19th century grandiloquence and the blurred contours of impressionism (a sensibility which Poulenc shared with his friend and compatriot Milhaud. The first piece in the set begins innocently enough, with a simple melody over an ostinato base; however, snatches of polytonality are introduced, creating an effect of playful impudence. No. 2 is marked “indifferent” and ends with a gesture which might be described as a wink. No. 3 evokes the atmosphere of the Parisian dance halls of the time and alternates between vivacious and tender moods. Although it was necessary to transpose these pieces the same transposition was applied to all three so the relative key relationship between movements is maintained.
Unlike the urbanized popular music which inspired some of the composition to Poulenc and Milhaud, authentic folk music is the basis of Bela Bartok's Rumanian Folk Dances. During the first four decades of the 20th century, Bartok was engaged in intensive research into the indigenous music of many cultures and this activity has a strong influence on his compositions. The Rumanian Folk Dances originally were written for piano but have appeared in many
other guises as well. This transcription for flute and guitar is based not only on the piano score but also on the composers orchestration and Zoltan Szekely’s transcription for violin and piano. In these six brief movements, the folk melodies are presented with Bartok’s own harmonizations in a wide variety of moods -- from the ethereal Pe loc, with its melody of narrow compass and its augmented seconds, to the frenetic Maruntel with its Lydian flavor and driving syncopated a compliment.
Arthur Levering
"I consider Eliot Fisk as one of the most brilliant, intelligent and gifted young musical artists of our times, not only among guitarists but in all the general field of instrumentalists. His clear and flexible technique, his noble style of interpreting the beauty of classic compositions as well as the colourful music of today, put him at the top line of our artistic world."
Andres Segovia
Eliot Fisk, first prize winner of the 1980 International Guitar Competition held in Italy, is a frequent guest performer on concert stages around the world. Highlights of his
83/84 American season include recitals in New York (Alice Tully Hall and Queens College), St. Louis, and Dallas, and performances as soloist with the orchestras of Sacramento and Puerto Rico, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the "Y" Chamber Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Mr. Fisk's diverse concert life also includes partnering such esteemed colleagues as soprano Victoria de los Angeles, the Juilliard Quartet, violinist Gidon Kremer, flutists Paula Robison and Carol Wincenc, and tenor John Aler. His numerous transcriptions of works by Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn. Soler, Mozart, Beethoven, and Paganini, never before available for guitar, have been recorded by Musicmasters and Mark Levinson Acoustics. In February, 1983, Mr. Fisk also began a series of recordings for the EMI/Electrola label.
Currently on sabbatical from his alma mater, the Yale School of Music, where he is the founder and head of the Guitar Department, Mr. Fisk.is serving as professor of guitar at the Hochschule fur Musik in Kain, West Germany.
Since winning first prize in the 1978 Naumburg Solo Flute Competition, Carol
Wincenc has established a reputation as one of today's foremost flute soloists. In performance with the Buffalo and Tulsa Philharmonics and the symphonies of Seattle, Arkansas, and Colorado Springs; as Guest Artist for four consecutive seasons in Lincoln Center's "Great Performers" Series; as soloist in the Marlboro, Spoleto, Mostly Mozart, Santa Fe, Madeira Bach, and Chautauqua Festivals; and in recital throughout the country she has been acclaimed as a major artist with impressive and deeply musical gifts. Ms. Wincenc has also collaborated frequently with Eliot Fisk, including performances at the Library of Congress, Princeton University, and the Merkin Concert Hall in New York. Her first solo album for Musical Heritage Society was cited by Stereo Review as a "Recording of Special Merit." Carol Wincenc is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.
Editions:
Godard Transcription: Pierrot Press, 19 Ash Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, ca. 1982; Poulenc Transcription: J & W Chester, London (1982); Milhaud Transcription: Submitted to Associated Music Publishers, representatives of the copyright holder,
Editions Max Eschig; Bartok Transcription:
Submitted to Universal Edition (London)/Boosey & Hawkes (New York), joint copyright holders
Engineering and Tape Editing: David B. Hancock
Mastering: Bill Kipper, Masterdisk Corp.
Cover Art: Carol Wincenc (photo by Christian Steiner); Eliot Fisk (photo by Charles Abbott)
Jacket Design: Jayne Travis Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84743222
© Amreco, Inc., 1983, 1984
© Musical Heritage Society, Inc., 1984
