The Great Book Of Flute Sonatas, Vol. 6: Czech & A

Ittzés, Gergely; Gábor, József

On the sixth album of Gergely Ittzes’s seven release survey of flute sonatas we examine 20th century musical trends from two points of view. One aspect is from the center of Europe, the Czech lands, the other is a faraway point, America. The composers of both countries unite the compositional trends of the century in special ways although they all honor the traditions and write tonal, melodic music. It is difficult to explain why, after the French and German repertoire, it was in the Czech lands where significant flute sonatas were composed. What is more, the Czech school of flute playing could not be considered definitive in the 20th century. These works were dedicated to French flautists; Rene´ Leroy, George Laurent and Jean-Pierre Rampal were the dedicatees. The geographical and cultural position of Bohemia facilitated the embrace of both French and German influence, uniting them with a distinctively Slavic character. Perhaps this was why, comparably to Russian music, Czech compositions, works by Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek, joined Western European mainstream music the soonest. This central location held an advantage for Czech music also in the 20th century. The influences of all the ’–isms’ were easily absorbed but the voices of Stravinsky and of Slav folk music were also present. In any case, it is a fact that none of the three sonatas on this album could have been omitted from this selection.

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