‘Morceaux de Salon’:

Elisabeth Walker – fluit, Louis Lot, 1859 (no. 435)

Richard Shaw – rechtbesnaarde salonvleugel, Erard, Parijs, 1892, in memoriam Romain d’Ansembourg

Program: 

– Louis Dorus (1813–1896)
:
Feuillet d’album
Dorus, a brilliant flautist on the eight keyed flute but also a great supporter of the newly invented Böhm flute, highlights the rich, even tone which Böhm was striving for when redesigning the bore of the flute and widening and doubling the finger holes.

– Theobald Böhm (1794–1881):
Variations sûr une valse de Franz Schubert, Op.21 (c.1830?)
– Das Fischermädchen
– Ständchen
Böhm has subtly transcribed a number of Schubert’s Lieder, adding delicate embellishments, but maintaining all the characteristics of these beautiful songs.

– Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888):
Le tambour bat aux champs, Op. 50 no. 2 (1859)
uit Capriccio alla soldatesca
A friend (and close neighbour) of Chopin and Liszt in Paris in the 1830s, Alkan’s strange but often wonderful music continues to move and challenge us to this day. Le tambour, published in 1859 (the year Elizabeth Walker’s flute was made by Louis Lot) is entertaining, but haunting too.

– Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921):
Avondschemer (1915)
We pay homage to Diepenbrock (the owner of an Erard piano of 1839 which the museum hopes to acquire) with Avondschemer (“Crepuscolo”), his only work for solo piano. This short, beautiful and thoughtful piece was written on April 16th, 1915.

– Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Arpeggio Sonate, D. 821 (1824)
Arr. E. Walker
• Allegro moderato
• Adagio
• Allegretto
There are a number of flautists who have put their name to an arrangement of this beautiful sonata, published posthumously in 1871, for the arpeggione.

—————————–           Pauze         ————————–

– Leopold Jansa (1795-1875):
Variaties op liederen van Franz Schubert
– Gute Nacht
– Der Lindenbaum
Until recently flautists believed Boehm arranged these two Schubert songs, but we now know that this was done by Schubert’s friend (and exact contemporary of Boehm’s), the violinist and composer Leopold Jansa.

– Frederic Chopin (1810–1849)
Variaties over het thema ‘Non piu mesta accanta al fuoco’ uit ‘La Cenerentola’, G. Rossini (1792-1868); Op. A1 no. 5, B.9
Chopin’s lively arrangement of Rossini’s popular theme ‘Non Piu Mesta’ from La Cenerentola.

– Charles-Valentin Alkan
Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer, Op. 31 no. 8 (1844?)
Alkan is famous for his monumental virtuoso works for solo piano (the Concerto Op.39/8-10 for example, lasts about 50 minutes), but he also wrote many fine short pieces, such as the 25 Préludes Op.31 (published 1847) and 48 Esquisses Op.63 (published 1861). Alkan was one of the early admirers of Schubert’s music in France, and his Chanson may well have been influenced by distinctive dark sonorities of Schubert’s powerful Am Meer (heard later in the programme). His piece is both simple and powerful, and lingers in the memory long after is has been heard…

– Leopold Jansa
Variaties op liederen van Franz Schubert
• Am Meer
• Die Taubenpost

– Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Introductie en Variatie, Op. 160, D.802 (1824)
naar Trockne Blumen uit Die Schöne Müllerin (D.795, 18e lied)
Franz Schubert wrote this set of variations for flute and piano in 1824, based on his Lied Trockne Blumen, the eighteenth song in his cycle Die Schöne Müllerin, to poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794 – 1827). Schubert wrote his song in 1823, and set this bleak poem (with its withered flowers, tears, the miller’s grave and profound despair) in the heavy key of E minor. However the variations make only occasional reference to the sombre song, as increasingly virtuosic high spirits and interplay between the piano and flute lift the song into something far more positive and life affirming.

Elizabeth Walker & Richard Shaw – flute/piano duo:

Elizabeth and Richard met in 2010 at the British Flute Society convention in Manchester. Since then they have performed together live on BBC Radio 3, and recently given recitals in England, Canada, America and Switzerland. A YouTube clip of Chopin and Schubert was recorded in 2012 at Hatchlands and has attracted a lot of interest – http://youtu.be/mbzu_zlf_Z4

In October 2014 they recorded works for flute and piano by Schubert for the record label www.devinemusic.co.uk including much of the music that you will be hearing in today’s recital. They perform regularly at both Finchcocks and Hatchlands where they have enjoyed matching Elizabeth’s flute to both the Pleyel and Erard pianos and have given lecture recitals at the Royal Academy of Music in London, using the original pianos in their Piano Gallery. This summer they performed a programme of ‘Songs for Flute and Piano’ in Toronto (June 2015).

More information about Elizabeth Walker and Richard Shaw can be found at www.lizwalker.co.uk

Elizabeth Walker – flute

“As perfect a demonstration of the modern wood flute’s capabilities as one could wish to hear”
Review from British Flute Society  magazine for Elizabeth’s recording of Telemann’s Fantasias.

Elizabeth studied at the Royal College of Music as a Junior Exhibitioner (where she was awarded the Sally Wainwright woodwind prize in 1985) and as a graduate at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying renaissance flute with Nancy Hadden, baroque and eight – keyed classical flute with Stephen Preston and modern flute with Kathryn Lukas. She went on to do a postgraduate study of Early Music at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, studying with Wilbert Hazelzet and receiving masterclasses from Barthold Kuijken. During this time as a student, she was involved in a number of recordings for the New London Consort under the Decca label (recorded using her maiden name – Elizabeth Stanbridge) including; Susato Danserye 1551, The Sylvan and Oceanic Delights of Posilipo, Monteverdi Vespers 1610, Locke Psyche, Blow Venus and Adonis and Telemann Water Music.

Elizabeth currently teaches flute and recorder at Wells Cathedral School and at the City of London School for Girls in London and is a regular examiner at graduate and postgraduate level at the music colleges in Great Britain.

In 2008, Elizabeth recorded a solo CD of Telemann’s Fantasias on a modern wooden flute, followed in 2011 with a recording of the J.S.Bach Flute Sonatas with her group ‘Continuum’. To promote these recordings, she has appeared live at the British Flute Society Convention and performed in Festivals throughout England. In 2012, Elizabeth formed a partnership with the pianist Richard Shaw, exploring repertoire from the mid nineteenth century composed specifically for her original Louis Lot Boehm-system flute, dated 1859. They have recorded a promotional video with ‘First Creative’ using Chopin’s original Ignace Pleyel piano from 1848, currently housed at Hatchlands as part of the Cobbe Collection, and given a solo lecture recital as part of the 2012 British Flute Society convention. Elizabeth and Richard were guests on the live arts programme ‘In Tune’ for BBC Radio 3 and plan to continue to bring this rare flute to audiences in France, Holland and America.

Elizabeth has performed with many period and modern orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Classical Opera Company, The English Concert, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia. Elizabeth recorded Telemann Fantasias for flute on her modern, flutemakers guild wooden flute and with her baroque ensemble ‘Continuum’ (flute, cello and harpsichord) she went on to record the Flute Sonatas by J.S. Bach’s, both released under the record label Quartz (www.quartzmusic.com) and are available on ITunes. The group has toured extensively sometimes combining baroque and modern instruments, and has appeared in Music Festivals throughout Great Britain. With Richard Shaw, Elizabeth performs using an original Louis Lot flute from 1859 (no.435) and they have appeared live on BBC Radio 3 and in Flute Conventions in England, Canada, (in 2013 and 2015), America (Chicago 2014) and Switzerland at the first La Cote Flute Festival. She also performs in the Renaissance flute ensemble, Zephyrs with Nancy Hadden, and in ‘Festive Flutes’ a lively modern flute quartet.

Her award winning book Baroque Flute Studies is available at Wonderful Winds (www.wonderfulwinds.com) and has sold successfully throughout the world and a second study book Baroque Studies for modern flute will be available soon. Her arrangement of Four Strauss Lieder for flute and piano is published in America by Alry Publications (www.alrypublications.com). More information about Elizabeth Walker can be found at www.lizwalker.co.uk

Richard Shaw – piano

RICHARD SHAW specialises in chamber music and accompaniment and has performed extensively in Britain and abroad. His recent broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 include duo performances with violinists James Ehnes, Viviane Hagner, Leonidas Kavakos, So-Ock Kim, Pekka Kuusisto, Andrew McGee, Vadim Repin, Ittai Shapira, Nikolaj Znaider, cellists Narek Hakhnazaryan, Richard Harwood and Li Wei, flautists Jean Ferrandis, Laura Lucas, Kathryn Thomas and Elizabeth Walker, Nicholas Daniel (oboe), clarinettists Martin Frost and Sarah Williamson, Hannah Marcinowicz (saxophone), Karen Geoghegan (bassoon), Christopher Orton (recorder), sopranos Elizabeth Atherton, Elizabeth Byrne, Nicole Cabelle, Majella Cullagh, Eva Kallberg, Jennifer Smith and Ailish Tynan, mezzo-sopranos Alice Coote, Catherine Griffith, Ruby Philogene and Jean Rigby, Anna Larsson (contralto), counter-tenors Robin Blaze and Michael Chance, tenors Paul Agnew, Hal Cazalet, John Hudson, Richard Margison and Kurt Streit, Matthew Rose and Jonathan Veira (bass-baritone) and Robert Pomakov (bass). He is Staff Accompanist at the Royal Academy of Music and regularly performs at the Dartington Festival, partnering musicians such as Sally Burgess (mezzo soprano), Michael George (bass), Neil Jenkins (tenor), Stephen Varcoe (bass baritone), Sarah Francis (oboe), Sue Dent (horn) and the Dante String Quartet.
His recent CDs on the Deux-Elles label include music by the great French flautist Phillipe Gaubert, with Kathryn Thomas (flute)(DXL 923), a critically acclaimed CD of chamber works (with the Galliard Ensemble) and piano solos by Sir Harrison Birtwistle (DXL 1019), Piper’s Dream (with Ensemble Lumiere) featuring the piano solos and chamber works of the British composer Cecilia McDowall (DXL 1033), and Faure and his circle (DXL 1125). He has recorded 26 CDs for Cramer Music. Richard is currently writing a biography of the distinguished Russian mezzo-soprano, Maria Karinskaya (1882-1942), following his discovery of an unknown 400-page Russian manuscript based on Karinskaya’s lost memoirs.