Cinq Mélodies for Flute and Piano, Op. 35b
- Staff Pick
Staff Pick
“This really works!”
Emily Beynon has taken these five melodies which Prokofiev originally penned for voice, and turned them into beautiful flute pieces. They are so all varied in character and range from the elusive to the skittish couple with moments of real power and sadness. Emily has pitched the vocal line so that it flows easily across the range and sings in just the right register each time. Ideas from Prokofiev's violin transcription, such as turning trills into flutter tonguing and adapting bow strokes into the flute articulation add an extra layer of texture and interest. This all works wonderfully well and I'm sure that Prokofiev would have been delighted with the result!
From the Publisher
Emily Beynon:
In 1918 Prokofiev left Russia for a visit to the US, arriving in San Fransisco in mid-August. He wrote to a friend "I'm as ecstatic about California as it is about me..... I am smiling along with the California countryside." During this trip he was commissioned to write an opera (The Love of Three Oranges) for the Chicago Opera Association. The Ukrainian soprano Nina Koshetz, sang in the 1921 premiere (conducted by Prokofiev) and that same year they premiered 'Cinq Melodies' together in New York. These five beautiful vocalises or songs without words (1920) are dedicated to her.
In Paris, five years later, Prokofiev transcribed the songs, adding a few embellishments, so that he and the Polish violinist, Pawel Kochanski, could perform them in concert. Later still, Prokofiev arranged the second one for solo voice and orchestra (melodie). Sadly this manuscript was left languishing in an archive, and remained unheard until 2007 when cellist Raphael Wallfisch adapted the vocal part for cello and invited composer Rodion Shcherdrin to orchestrate the remaining four, using the second melody as a model. Prokofiev later arranged the fourth of these miniatures for solo piano.
Since both the voice and the violin are major sources of inspiration for many flute players, these beguiling gems offer an ideal opportunity to emulate both, and further explore and celebrate the flute's innate lyricism. I have primarily used the violin version as the basis for this arrangements with phrasing inspired by the original vocal score. In the fourth melody I have maintained both the detailed violin articulation and the longer vocal phrasing lines as I feel both offer invaluable insights into the music. Since Prokofiev arranged this work three times himself, wrote the most exquisite flute parts in his orchestral scores, and of course, arranged his Op 94 Flute sonata for Violin, I like to imagine he might have felt an arrangement of 'Cinq Melodies' for flute and piano justified.
Our Description
The audio recording is a live performance of Emily Beynon (flute) and Andrew West (piano) from the Flautissimo Festival, Rome 2001.
Performance duration (approx): 12'00
Contents
- Andante
- Lento, ma non troppo
- Animato, ma non allegro
- Allegretto leggero e scherzando
- Andante non troppo
Item Details
Instrumentation
- Part 1: Flute
- Part 2: Piano
Publisher: Scherzo Editions
Publisher's reference: SE0226
Our Stock Code: 1691238
Media Type: Paperback (28 pages [score])
