Repertoire

In 1982 the publisher Edition Jobert in Paris issued an excellent catalogue of flute music with more than 30,000 titles collected by Bernard Pierreuse, solo flutist in l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège.

The preface of the catalogue is begun thus by Henri Pousseur, Directeur du Conservatoire royal de Liège, "We are all familiar with that amusing, anecdotic, and paradoxical problem of - the catalogue of catalogues which does not mention itself - whereby something essential is left out." Nevertheless do we thank the flutist Bernard Pierreuse for his great contribution to all friends of music.

The flute repertoire is very comprehensive, and there are quite a few more titles than the flutist Bernard Pierreuse mentions - so to play it all would be impossible. I play the standard repertoire and less well-known works - usually as thematically built programmes, because in that way you get a better opportunity to present a period of time, a musical idea, or a composer.

In the baroque repertoire there are in Denmark at the Danish Royal Library two quite unique collections where the flute music has a central place. The larger collection of music from the 1700s is Chamberlain Giedde's Collection, which contains chamber music, flute concertos, and symphonies by composers from the whole of Europe. The other big collection is the Aalholm Collection of more than 130 works among which there are 3 so far unknown flute concertos by Agrell and Scheibe. Otto Ludvig Raben (1730-1791) count of "Christiansholm", Aalholm, and Bramslökke Castles had this collection in his archive. The count studied flute playing 1750-54 in Paris under the flute virtuoso Michel Blavet, and they also played at Louis XV's court of Versailles. Listen to the music.

From the two mentioned collections I have played many works of both chamber music and flute concertos over the years. Photos.

Through my teachers, friends, and my own curiosity I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with many exciting works from all the music literature, which have given inspiration to many different programmes, and below the current ones can be seen.

 

Keiko Chiba

Bernard Pierreuse
Flute Literature
 

Programmes    2010 - 2011

Baroque

”Un Grand Danois”
The Danish composer and organist, Dietrich Buxtehude, admired by J.S.Bach, Buxtehude was together with Sweelinck the greater exponent of the German organ school of the north. 14 triosonatas BuxWV op.1. & op.2 , and 8 Choral Preludes

Flute, viola d'gamba and harpsichord, organ

”Musique de Versailles”
Granom, Leclair, Guillemain, Blavet, Couperin, Rameau

Flute and harpsichord

”Absolute Bach”  -  Joh. Seb. Bach
Bach's 7 famous flute sonatas & trio sonatas BWV 525 - 530
Bach transcripts of Partita BWV 997, Concerto BWV 1056, 1058

Flute and harpsichord, organ

"Bach & Sons at Sans Souci"  -  "Deux Flûtes"
The music that was played at the Court of Friedrich II. "der Große" in Potsdam. J.J. Quantz, J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, J.Chr. Bach, Francois Couperin, J.B. de Boismortier

2 flutes and harpsichord

The classical period

Romantic music

”Danish Golden Age and Melodies of Japan”
I.P.E. Hartmann, N.W. Gade, Fr. Kuhlau and classical Japanese music arranged by Teruyki Noda

Flute and piano

Frensh impressionism

”Le Son Francais”
Claude Debussy, Lili Boulanger, Philippe Gaubert, Paulenc, Fauré, Ferroud

Flute and piano

And other programmes

Live recording from a concert at Selsø Castle, August 28, 2003.      
Mogens Friis, flute and Yuzuru Hiranaka, at harpsichord Joop Klinkhamer (1990)
after Johann Heinrich Harraß (1665-1714)

The Bach harpsichord in Berlin

In Musikinstrumenten-Museum des Staatlichen Institut für Musikforschung PK in Berlin, there is a harpsichord in the collection of Johann Heinrich Harraß (1665-1714), Großbreitenbach, Thuringia. It is thought to have been owned by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is known with certainty that the harpsichord by Harraß in Berlin has belonged to Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, so it is not unlikely that it has earlier been in the possession of Joh. Seb. Bach, who had several harpsichords, which his 4 musical sons have used for Bach's lessons and played at the concerts in Leipzig by "Collegium Musicum" in one of the largest of the city's coffee houses.

In 1729 Bach took over the leadership of the ensemble, which was founded by G. Ph. Telemann, his good friend and godfather of Bach's sons. In 1734 Bach composed a "Coffee Cantata" as a musical joke on the virtues of coffee, the new exclusive fashion drink of the time. The cantata was performed as joyful entertainment in Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house. Bach performed in Leipzig many of his great instrumental concerts in this famous coffee house including the concerts for 2, 3, and 4 harpsichords with his sons as soloists.

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