Mozart
did not have a high regard for the flute being especially unimpressed
because of its tuning problems. Nevertheless he wrote several
high quality works for the instrument. The necessary inspiration
came around 1777 from Dutch surgeon Ferdinand De Jean, an amateur
flute player. He commissioned Mozart to compose some concertos
and quartets for the flute and agreed the princely sum of 200
florins. Neither side came out of the arrangement with any credit.
Mozart, distracted by other compositions, procrastinated and
did not completely fulfil the terms of the commission. Consequently
De Jean gave Mozart only 96 florins instead of the full fee.
For Ferdinand De Jean, Mozart did in fact compose two
Flute Concertos, G major, KV 313 and D major, KV 314, and a
pair of Quartets for Flute and Strings. A third flute concerto
for De Jean was never written and the second was not an original
work being a reworking of the Oboe Concerto in C Major, KV 314.
Composed in Mannheim the Flute
Quartet No. 1 in D major, KV
285 dated Christmas Eve 1777 is the most substantial of the
four. This three movement score contains a pleasant blend of
good spirits with an intriguing touch of pathos. Also from Mannheim
in 1778 the Flute Quartet No. 2 in G major, KV
285a is cast in a two movement form and survives as a copy in
the hand of a third party dated 1792. The attractive G major
score is considered to be the least difficult of the four Flute
Quartets containing subtle harmonisation and a wide range of
colours.
The Flute Quartet No. 3 in C major, KV Anh. 171 (KV 285b) is also thought to have been written
in Mannheim, not in 1777-78 as first thought, but authenticated
by musicologist Alan Tyson as a work from 1781-82. The score
was probably not part of the commission for Ferdinand De Jean.
Designed in two movements the C major Quartet endeavours to equalise the
roles of the strings with the reasonably demanding flute part.
It is now thought by Alan Tyson that the Flute Quartet No. 4
in A major, KV 298 was not composed in 1777 but in 1786-87, probably
in Paris. The A
major score is in the
three movement form and proves to be a delightful and stylish
work.
Having
listened to this EMEC live recording I can report flute playing
of the highest standard. Dreier’s performances are characterful,
often dazzling and exuberant, choosing tempi that seem just
perfect. On the downside I am saddened to report difficulties
with the sound quality that make this release impossible to
recommend. The church acoustic feels as if the boxy and frail-sounding
violin and viola have been recorded in a different room to that
of the cello and the forwardly placed flute. The assured playing
of the talented Sabine Dreier deserves much better than this
and I look forward to hearing her record again soon.
At fifty-three
minutes this EMEC release is rather short measure. It does contain
an uncredited eleventh track that was given at the live performance
as an encore. The encore piece, I am informed, is actually a
section of the final movement Rondeau of the Flute Quartet,
KV 285 played from bar 82. Infuriatingly a sound technician
has cut most of Sabine Dreier’s explanation of the encore to
the audience.
There are numerous
accounts of Mozart’s four Flute Quartets in the catalogues and
the competition is extremely fierce. The recordings most likely
to be encountered include the releases from: the Grumiaux Trio
with William Bennett on Philips; the Amsterdam Schönbrunn Ensemble
on Channel Classics; the Emerson String Quartet with Carol Wincenc
on Deutsche Grammophon; the Tokyo String Quartet with James Galway
on RCA Victor Red Seal and Queyras; Poppen and Schlichtig with
Emmanuel Pahud on EMI. My particular favourite is the disc of
splendid accounts by the Nash Ensemble from 1988 at Rosslyn Hill
Chapel, London. Featuring the constantly fresh and stylish flute
playing of Philippa Davies this double set is my confident recommendation,
at bargain price, on Virgin Veritas 5 61448 2 (c/w Trio, KV 498;
Adagio and Rondo, KV 617; Quartet, KV 370 and Quintet, KV 407).
Michael Cookson
