Your view of this piece will be entirely coloured by how you react to the manipulation of masterpieces. Starting with a fantasy-like swirl of the five-note motif, we encounter the main theme briefly before the textures take over again. Another famous Papageno tune then emerges in a more straightforward guise, followed by a section in which the the soloists take centre stage. There is an quasi 'oom-pah band' section later and a strong ending. What is without doubt is that it is very well written, Grethen having a complete understanding of both the capabilites of the solo and the tutti, and how to balance the 2 groups successfully. So, as it really works on a flute-playing level the choice is yours!
This work for flute ensemble with themes and motifs from
Mozart's Magic Flute is conceived like a concerto grosso. The
tutti, kept at a straightforward level, is formed by a group of four
flutes (cast chorally). The concertino is formed by: piccolo,
flute 1, flute 2, flute 3, alto flute, bass flute. They are a group of
soloists.
Included is a triple set of parts for the 4 tutti flutes.
