A. ROMBERG - Flute Quintets [CD]

Outstanding among Romberg's eight quintets is Opus 41, a set of three brilliantly elaborated and expressively condensed four-movement compositions, a reminder of Romberg's contemporary reputation as a remarkable violinist, although his friend Spohr, who referred to him as a cultivated and subtle artist, also found his actual playing cold and dry. Romberg's flute quintets, scored for flute, violin, two violas and cello, illustrate the freshness of his musical language, with it's use of dance movements and variations on well-known melodies. The Flute Quintets, Opus 41, are superb music, created as the classical style began to turn towards the romantic. The Quintet in E minor starts with a movement in tripartite classical form, in which the first subject assumes considerable importance. A stately Minuet follows, with the flute offering a sinuous melody in the first of the two contrasting Trios. The strings open the slow movement, before the flute joins in the principal theme, leading to the well-known strains of the English national anthem, a melody that enjoyed similar use in a number of German states. The last movement finds room for a traditional display of counterpoint. The second work here included, the Quintet in D major follows a similar pattern, a repeated exposition in the first movement leading to a central development, before the expected recapitulation. The second movement Minuet has corresponding Trios in contrast, and the slow movement Romanza is again introduced by the strings, the theme varied on the entry of the flute with the melody, against a running accompaniment. The quintet ends with a lively Rondo. In the Quintet in F major the flute introduces an operatic melody in the style of the period, admitting, as it is developed, a measure of counterpoint and passage-work for the flute. The slow movement, placed second, offers a singing melody in a finely crafted texture, to be followed by a third movement Minuet with something of Haydn about it. This is capped by a short Vivace in conclusion.