Flûte et Cordes

“Whether an amateur or professional, do not expect profound musical thought in these compositions, but instead expect cheerful and ingenious playfulness of art.” What Domenico Scarlatti says about his harpsichord sonatas of course applies in equal measure to the arrangements of some of these works by Jean Francaix. Ensemble Obligat has its fun with listeners, too, as becomes clear when looking through the entire tracklist on their new Genuin recording. Not only are there apparently ‘weightless’ works but, in addition to Scarlatti, a Mozart as well as Debussy are featured alongside profound works by Schubert (also in arrangements by Francaix). Perhaps another Scarlatti quote is the key to understanding the virtuosic and feather-light performances in store for listeners on this CD. This time Scarlatti was writing about how the public received his delicate, galant music—perhaps just the way a Mozart would have preferred, or the way a Schubert might have liked, who called his works Impromptus: “...present yourself more like a person than like a critic, and you will take that much more pleasure in them.”