French miniatures

Flute playing developed in a grand manner in Paris at the turn of the Twentieth Century, with instruments previously made from wood being replaced by sonically brilliant silver and the subsequent revolutionising of the Flute Technique with methods from eminent late Nineteenth Century pedagogues including Moyse, Taffanel and Gaubert. This recording explores the impressionistic form of the French Miniature, with the interpreters aiming to convey the core essence of the works with a concentrated immediacy, given the short duration that is an inherent feature of the pieces. As part of the Paris Conservatoire examination system, composition students would compose a work of seven minutes or less for the flute performance students to present; both hoping to obtain the prestigious ‘Premier Prix’. These short pieces enable the performer to demonstrate the techniques emphasised in Nineteenth Century French flute tradition. Many of these works are usually played as encore pieces, rarely are they combined as a major single collection. By combining the disparate miniatures into one recording, the performers are required to capture the emotional spectrum with a concentrated conciseness.