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The period known as the "Belle Époque"
can be roughly drawn from the 1880s up to the First World War, when fashion
and, I suppose, ‘Le Sacre du Printemps’ all contributed to blowing it
away. Not only that but the ‘époque’ is a phase in purely French
culture (although Enescu may seem slightly out of place in this context)
and interestingly, it was Paris that saw the premiere of ‘Le sacre’. Anyway,
it was composers like Godard and Fauré who seem to sum up the very
best of the period. However, more importantly, this is a performer’s CD.
Although we are not told directly I suspect that Marina Piccinini has
chosen seven of her favourite compositions from this period.
As all flautists know the Flute repertoire that practically
dies out after Mozart [and he didn’t like the instrument that much either]
is eventually rescued by this generation of French composers. Faure for
example wrote a considerable amount for the instrument as any young player
can testify. I suspect therefore that Miss Piccinini has been born and
bred on this music or material very much like it and she thrives on it,
enjoying every nuance.
She also brings some more unusual pieces out for an airing
and convinces us that they do not merit the fate of forever gathering
dust. For example, the disc opens with a work by the rarely encountered
George Huë. This comes from the very end of our era, 1913, but the
piece could have been written ten years or so earlier. It has a debt to
Debussy but also a few phrases which point forward to Satie.
The booklet is attractive and interestingly written by
David Wright. It is adorned with seven black and white photographs, including
ones of the performers and of four of the composers, one of which is the
famous organ composer Charles-Marie Widor. His four movement ‘Suite’,
at almost eighteen minutes, is the longest work on the disc and although
rather staid, as his photo implies, typefies the ease and grace of most
of the music of this period.
I can’t say that I have heard of François Borne
before. His is one of many ‘Carmen Fantasies’ and makes an excellent finale
to the disc. It is a terrific virtuoso showpiece, which has been added
to by Marina Piccinini with "some fantastic variations and flourishes
of her own".
Anne Epperson is an entirely accomplished and delightful
accompanist who is never cowed and bent by some stunning flute playing.
She is not only highly sensitive to the subtleties of French repertoire
herself but has an ideal touch, aided and abetted by an excellently balanced
recording.
The flute is a notorious difficult instrument to play
when sudden or wide dynamic contrasts are needed, which is probably why
the earlier Romantic composers moved away from it. However the booklet
profile on Piccinini quite rightly comments that she has a "tremendous
range of tone colours … with her lyric expressiveness she phrases and
colours the sound as naturally as a singer". Certainly I agree that
her tone is an absolute joy and her phrasing beautiful. All this is coupled
with her virtuosity. To illustrate this I have chosen three tracks.
The first is the whole of Fauré’s gorgeous ‘Morceau’
(track 2) in which the composer, as ever, is wonderful at utilising the
lower register, then Enescu’s early ‘Cantabile and Presto’ (track 6) which
needs both expressive playing, and later a lighter touch with its double
tonguing and fast passage work in the lower register. And I can’t resist
the ‘Carmen’ Fantasy’ (track 13) beginning at c.5.39 through to the end.
Very fine playing by both performers and a most enjoyable CD. In fact
the word which keeps coming to mind is ‘delightful’.
Gary Higginson
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Marina Piccinini (flute)
