This disc is a kind
of mosaic of Baroque pieces. It includes chamber works written by composers
favored by the French Kings.
At that time, the flute - the royal instrument - had its golden age; many
composers wrote for the instrument (for instance, Johann Joachim Kuanz composed
more than 300 flute concertos for the Prussian King Friedrich, who was an
amateur flutist himself).
Louis XIV was a well-known patron of art and music-lover. In order to support
the composers he released several bills that gave them the right to publish
their compositions and distribute them. It was called Privilege du Roi.
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was born in 1691. He lived in Paris most of his life
and died there in 1765. Held the post of Master of vocal art at the Academy of
Music. His music, elegant and melodious, was rather popular during his lifetime.
An excellent musician, he could also compose easily with a great speed, and his
heritage is quite impressive. At the same time he was rather careless and
absent-minded. "Messieurs, please take my score and do anything you like with
it. I know about how to present it less than the youngest choir boy does," - the
composer confessed to the directors of the Academy.
Among his works were an opera Daphnis et Chloe, opera-ballet Daphne,
instrumental cycle Les Seasons. He was the first French composer who wrote a
concerto for a solo instrument with the orchestra.
Jaques Marten Hottetere (le Romain) - an eminent musician, pedagogue, and
theoretician. He worked in the Royal Chapel, played flute, fagot, musette. Like
his parents, he was an excellent flute maker. He was the leading pedagogue in
Paris aristocratic circles. He was also an author of treatises about the art of
improvisation and playing musette. In his works for flute - suites for flute and
bass, pieces for flute solo and two flutes, trio-sonatas, he showed the bright
expressive possibilities of this beautiful instrument.
Georg Philip Telemann is one of the most famous composers of the XVIII
century. His unique musical talent became obvious early. At the age of ten he
already played four instruments, had composed several arias, motets, and
instrumental pieces. His first triumph happened when he was 13: after the
performance of his cantata the audience was so enthusiastic that people carried
him in their arms! He worked as a chapel master in Zorau, Eisenach, Leipzig,
where he founded Collegium musicum, Frankfurt, Hamburg. He organized the first
public concerts; in 1728, founded the first in the history musical magazine Der
getreue Musik-Meister. His heritage is enormous: about 40 operas, 1000
orchestral suites, 40 Passions, more than 1500 cantatas, 15 Messes, more than
700 arias and songs, many instrumental works. Telemann confessed that he could
not remember all his compositions. After his triumph in Paris in 1735, many of
his opuses were published by Privilege du Roy, among them - Les Corelizantes, a
tribute of respect to a famous Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli.
* * *
Ars Consoni, the ensemble of the baroque music, appeared in 1986. But for
Vladimir Fedotov, who is the ensemble's artistic director and soloist, the new
ensemble follows the tradition established by the previous one, founded in
Leningrad Academic Glinka Chapel in 1968. The new ensemble performs in the
authentic style. Two traverse flutes are the exact copies of the unique
instrument made by J.H.Tromlitz, an XVIII century master and theoritician. The
copies were made by a famous Leningradian master F.Rav-donikas. The violins,
made by Italian masters, belong the XVIII century. Viola da gamba is of the same
period and comes from Germany. Theorba was made by another Leningradian master,
A.Batov, from the original drawings of the baroque period.
Vladimir Fedotov was born in 1942 in the city of Perm. His father, P.
Fedotov, was a professor of flute at the Leningrad Conser-vatoire; the mother,
N.Berezins-kaya, was a cellist. Like other musicians, they were evacuated from
the Nazi-blockaded Lenin-grad.
In 1960 Vladimir Fedotov, still a student of the Leningrad Conservatoire, began
to play in the Kirov Theatre orchestra. In 1964-75, he worked in the Leningrad
Philharmonic orchestra headed by Evgeny Mravinsky. Since 1975, appears only as a
solo performer. In 1969 he began a series of concerts at the Leningrad Academic
Glinka Chapel that lasted for many years.
He was the first flautist in Russia who started to play a recorder. Vladimir
Fedotov issued many vinyl and compact discs, his vast repertoire includes all
popular works for flute, he played many world premieres.
His daughter, Maria Fedotova, also a flautist, is a member-soloist of the
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.
She successfully appears in many solo projects..
© Classical
Records
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