This is a very good arrangement of the wonderful Dvorak 'American' string quartet. The flute can really hold its own against three string players and the soaring melodies in the first violin part are ideally suited to the modern instrument. Inevitavbly there are some alterations that have to be made to accommodate changes in range but the balance between the parts has been very well maintained, and Pahud has, as usual, done a great job editing. Not everyone embraces the increasing number of transcriptions that allow flute players access to Romantic repertoire but it's very hard not to fall in love with this!
Dvorák’s “String Quartet No. 12” was created during a three-year stay in the USA. Also, in this work he skilfully developed original melodies and peculiarities, which for him embodied the music of the American natives and integrated them into his Central European influenced romantic musical language.
The spirit of this quartet fits perfectly into the natural sound of the flute, which, in the presented arrangement by Stephan Koncz, subtly and artistically replaces the voice of the first violin and, with respect to the original, exploits the tonal possibilities of this instrument.
Performance duration (approx): 28'
