French Flute Favourites Reference to the Belle Epoque brings a smile to thelips and a feeling of nostalgia. It conjures up a picture of Paris, Its famousbandstands, an atmosphere of general jubilation, a carefree world. At the sametime we have no difficulty in remembering the exceptional richness of France’smusical life in that period, when publishers’ catalogues were daily beingenriched with the most brilliant new polkas, mazurkas and waltzes, and Gabriel Fauréand Claude Debussy were writing some of their finest works. If the literaturefor flute at the turn of the century is today seeing an exceptional revival ofinterest, it is precisely due to that unique musical duality in genre, wherethe deepest of emotions, the most sincere feelings and the most naive charmcome together in a fragile but wholly perceptible manner. An instrument likethe flute thus had everything to gain. The first half of the nineteenth centurysaw the unchallenged reign of the virtuoso composer and, consequently, theflowering of a brilliant form of writing, in perfect accord with the desiresand needs of the virtuoso performer. Chamber music was barely heard of in themusic of flute virtuosi, and romantic sonatas played a large part in thewriting of pianists like Hummel, Czerny, Kuhlau and Moscheles. On the otherhand, even if great composers looked down on it, the flute was to reach theheights of popularity, especially among the middle classes. Everywhere, thosewho liked the instrument wrote work after work in the form of duos and triosfor it, and this success was to serve the instrument from the 1850s, giving itone of the greatest shares in a new genre, the music of the salon. These wereother changes. Compositions were more diversified, and to what was previouslypurely spectacular, a more exotic, burlesque, pastoral mood of the unusual waspreferred. At the same time, orchestras were developing and wind instrumentsassuming greater importance. Hector Berlioz was to be the prime mover of thisrevolution. Later, the arrival of Paul Taffanel pushed this change stillfurther. An exceptional soloist, founder of the Société de Musique de Chambrepour Instruments à Vent (1879) (Society of Chamber music for Wind Instruments),his position as professor at the Conservatoire in Paris enabled him to commssiona whole new repertoire from different composers. If it is this development thatcertainly encouraged flautists at this period, it was really the mood of the BelleEpoque which led the public to rediscover it. The music which Mac Grauwelsand the Orchestre de Chambre de Waterloo offer in their recital, howevervaried, is in every way represel1tative of its own period. The first two works come from two virtuosi, colourfulcharacters and masters of the seductive musical art of the salon JohannesDonjon (1839-1912), a pupil of Jean-Louis Tulou, was awarded his prize at theConservatoire in 1856, and among other things was the solo flautist at the Sociétédes Concerts in the Conservatoire. His Qffertoire for flute and piano, orharmonium, if circumstances so dictated, is numbered Opus 12 and dated1900. Its elegiac style is perfectly in tune with the person to whom it wasdedicated, Louis Dorus, professor at the Conservatoire, one of the first ardentdefenders of the Böhm Flute, and known for his own qualities of style andexpression. The Carnaval de Venise, Opus 14, by Paul-Agricole Genin(1832-1903), first flute of the Orchestre de Vichy then at the Théâtre Italienin Paris, has for a long time served as a flautist’s war-horse. Whether forpiccolo or flute, it was written for Eugène Damaré, the greatest virtuoso ofthe piccolo at the end of the century, composer of the famous Rossignol de l’Opéeraand of the famous polka earlier recorded by Marc Grauwels, Le Merle Blanc(Naxos 8.555977). The name Benjamin Godard (1849-1895) is now largelyforgotten, except, perhaps, for the Berceuse from his opera Jocelyn,Opus 100, first staged at the Opéra de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1888.Among other compositions, in almost all genres, we find evocative titles: Sonatefantastique pour piano, Symphonie légendaire, Symphonie orientale, Conte de fée,Viennoise, Bohémienne, Brésilienne and so on. Among the quantity of chambermusic he wrote, there is only one work for flute, but a very successful one, theSuite de trois Morceaux Opus 116. Published in 1890, it was dedicated toPaul Taffanel and soon became a standard element in flute repertoire, Thanks,among other things, to its final Waltz. The less well-known first twomovements hold attention through their elegance and delicacy. The Légende pastoraleand the Sérénade à Mabel belong to another triptych, entitled Scénesécossaises and originally written for oboe and piano in 1892 for Georges Gillet.The pastoral mood of Légende is heard in discreet ornamentation,followed by a singing central section. The Sérénade suggests somethingof the Waltz of Opus 116, but is more reserved, though full ofspirit. Two works for two flutes follow. The Divertissenment grecby Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941) was also originally accompanied by the harpand was published in 1908. It is interesting to note that, although fifty yearsapart in date and differing in nature, these two works seem to stem from thesame inspiration. The charm of antiquity has certainly something to do withthis, and the feeling of nostalgia predominates, the same feeling that leads usback today to the Belle Epoque. The other, quite well known, is the Trio des jeunes Ismaélitesfrom the oratorio L’Enfance du Christ Opus 25, of Hector Berlioz(1803-1869), a former composition student of Anton Reicha in Paris, who notonly had a perfect knowledge of wind instruments, but also played the flutehimself. Charles Gounod (1818-1893) hardly needs introduction. His Petitesymphonie in B flat major, for flute and wind octet, was written for the Sociétéde Musique de Chambre pour Instruments à Vent, and given its first performance bythe ensemble on 30th April l885, with Paul Taffanel playing the flute.Exceptional in its writing, this work, only published in 1904, has a specialplace in the history of music and demonstrates a typically French style ofwriting, suggesting at times the wit of a Poulenc. Contrasted with the cheerfulfaster movements is the superb cantilena of the Andante, entrusted tothe flute. Denis Verroust Marc GrauwelsMarc Grauwels is among the best know flautists in the worldtoday. After completing his studies, he made his orchestral début in theFlanders Opera Orchestra. In 1976, he became solo piccolo in the BelgianNational Opera Orchestra and in 1978, Principal Flautist in the Belgian Radioand Television Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for ten years. He was amember of the World Orchestra under the baton of Carlo-Maria Giulini andsubsequently developed a remarkably successful career as a soloist. Since 1985he has taught at the Brussels Royal Conservatory Marc Grauwels has enjoyed anotable association with Nino Rota and with Astor Piazzolla who composed forhim A History of the Tango. His dislike of traditional formal concertshas led him to some diversity in programming, prepared to alternate Piazzollawith Schubert and Mozart with Ravi Shankar. His outstanding success is attestedby his minimum of a hundred concerts a year and some forty CD recordings. Annie LavoisierAnnie Lavoisier started studying the harp in Rheims, her birthplace.In Paris, she developed her contemporary and orchestral repertoire with FrancisPierre, while her meeting with the famous harpist Pierre James helped her togain a new sound and expression for the harp. Annie Lavoisier has won many internationalcompetitions in France, Israel, Munich and the M.A. Cazala Contest. At the ageof twenty, she was appointed a principal in the National Orchestra of Belgium. Sheis pursuing a career as a soloist and in several chamber music ensembles. Claudi ArimanyClaudi Arimany began to study the flute under S. Gratacósand furthering his studies in France with Jean-Pierre Rampal, and in Switzerlandwith G. Sebok. He was awarded first prize by unanimous jury decision in 1982 atthe Paris Conservatoire. His teachers were A. Marion and R. Guiot. Since thenhe has been extremely active as a solo performer giving concerts in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Great Britain, the United States and Russia,appearing with musicians and orchestras of marked distinction. Orchestre de Chamhre de Waterloo (Conductor: Ulysse Waterlot)The Orchestre de Chambre de Waterloo sprang from along collaboratinnbetween its leader, Ulysse Waterlot, and the Pastoureaux, a group of youngsingers from Waterloo. Together they have recorded several compact discs mainlyof religious music for choir and orchestra, the Nelson Mass by Haydn(1988), Mazart’s Requiem (1990) and a disc of Christmas carols (1992).The orchestra is made up of young professional musicians, all graduates fromdifferent Belgian Royal Conservatories and has acquired a considerable reputationat home, which it has been able to develop further abroad. Ulysse WaterlotUlysse Waterlot has led many orchestras in Belgium since the1960s, and in 1975 began his career as a conductor with various Belgian andFrench orchestras. He first collaborated with Marc Grauwels and the Orchestrede Chambre de Waterloo in 1991. Ulysse Waterlot is also a professor at theConservatoire Royal de Mons, where he conducts the Ensemble de Musique Contemporaine.As a composer, he has written a considerable amount of music and actuallyappeared in the rôle of conductor with the Maître de Musique José VanDam in the film by Gerard Corbiau.