THE FLUTE KINGEmmanuel Pahud explores music composed for and by Frederick the Great
5099908423023 (2CD) 5099908423054
released in November 2011
“One doesn’t know what to admire most in this flautist: the musical intelligence, the finesse, the sumptuous sound or the multitude of colors. Not to mention his superior technique and the fullness of sound in every range.” Diapason
Emmanuel Pahud performs music written for and by the gifted flautist, composer and patron of the arts, King Frederick the Great of Prussia. The release features concerti, solo sonatas and chamber works by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Johann Joachim Quantz, Franz Benda, Johann Friedrich Agricola, Anna Amalia von Preussen and Frederick the Great. Joining Pahud are the period instrument ensemble Kammerakademie Potsdam and renowned harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock. The Flute King anticipates the 300th anniversary, in January 2012, of the birth of an enlightened monarch whose love of music changed the musical scene in continental Europe.
“When the world changes, its music changes with it,” said Pahud recently. “One of the major historical upheavals that interests me as a flute player in particular occurred at the court of Frederick the Great. As crown prince he was forbidden by his father to indulge in any form of aesthetic activity – especially playing the flute. Frederick was to have been brought up as a soldier, but the young man bridled and took music lessons in secret. For the crown prince, his father’s state was built on an obsolete model – the young Frederick sought to become an enlightened regent, a philosopher and a humanist. He was a follower of the Sturm und Drang movement, of Kant and humanism – a modern man in the midst of a world in upheaval.
“On these CDs I attempt to come to terms with that period: the diverse influences which prevailed at the Prussian court, the shifts in fashion, and the various roles played by the king, his staff and his friends. It is one thing to learn history from a book, to put together an overall picture out of dates, facts and quotes. For me as a performer, there is yet another key to understanding this historical period: the music itself.
“It surprised me to find that this important turning point in music history had mostly been dealt with one-dimensionally: some musicians have explored the compositions of Frederick the Great, others the works of C.P.E. Bach, and still others have studied the flute method of Johann Joachim Quantz. It was stimulating for me to draw together and illuminate all these threads, which ultimately come from a single source. My aim has been to make audible all this activity – the various currents, musical aesthetics and new approaches”.
The earliest work in the set is from A Musical Offering, the result of J.S. Bach’s visit to Frederick the Great’s beloved summer palace Sanssouci in 1747. The King called on Bach to improvise a keyboard fugue on a theme that he, Frederick, had devised – which Bach duly did. When he returned to Leipzig, Bach wrote out three-part and six-part fugues and a string of intricate canons on the royal theme as well as a full-scale trio sonata for flute, violin and continuo, which was published as “Musikalisches Opfer” with a dedication to the King. The other works Pahud has chosen are a concerto by Quantz, the King’s teacher, musical companion and guide; a concerto and a sonata by CPE Bach, a concerto by Franz Benda; a sonata by Johann Friedrich Agricola; a sonata by the King’s youngest sister Anna Amalia; and a concerto and a sonata by the King himself.
Emmanuel Pahud is one of today’s most exciting and adventurous musicians fêted for his innate musicality and extraordinary technique. As principal flautist of the Berliner Philharmoniker and much-in-demand soloist and chamber musician, he performs repertoire ranging from the Baroque to newly minted concertos by Mark-André Dalbavie and Matthias Pintscher to jazz. Pahud has had an exclusive recording contract with EMI since 1996, a collaboration that has resulted in significant contributions to recorded flute music in the form of over 20 CDs, which have received unanimous critical acclaim and been showered with international awards. His recording of the complete flute sonatas of J.S. Bach with harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock appeared in 2008.
Pahud’s diary for 2012 includes solo recitals in Paris and throughout Japan as well as appearances with the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Trevor Pinnock in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, France and Germany and with Les Violons du Roy in the United States, all of which will include works from The Flute King.