Italian flutist Raffaele Trevisani is on shaky ground in transcribing these sonatas for violin and keyboard (or, in the conception of Mozart's day, piano and violin) for flute and piano. It is true that transcriptions of all kinds were a primary method of diffusing new music in the late eighteenth century, but in the case of the sonata that opens the program here there is direct evidence that Mozart didn't favor this particular solution -- he wrote "violino o flauto traverso" on the manuscript but then crossed it out. Yet ...
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Italian flutist Raffaele Trevisani is on shaky ground in transcribing these sonatas for violin and keyboard (or, in the conception of Mozart's day, piano and violin) for flute and piano. It is true that transcriptions of all kinds were a primary method of diffusing new music in the late eighteenth century, but in the case of the sonata that opens the program here there is direct evidence that Mozart didn't favor this particular solution -- he wrote "violino o flauto traverso" on the manuscript but then crossed it out. Yet the music is attractive, even though Trevisani is basically disregarding Mozart's wishes. Is this due to Trevisani's musicality? Partly, yes. He's an exceptionally lively player who creates a wonderfully delicate balance with pianist Paola Girardi. All the small details with which Mozart beefed up his still partly accompanimental violin parts emerge in sparkling dialogue. But it is also the transcriptions themselves that are successful, no matter what Mozart said. The flute adds an...
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