Finchcocks Schubertiade
Elizabeth Walker & Richard Shaw
Devinemusic DMC0003. 71’44

Franz Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata (arr E. Walker), Trockne Blumen, Intro & Variations Op. 160 D.802, Lieder arrangements. Theobald Böhm: Variations sur une valse de Schubert, op 21

This CD is as much about the instruments as the music. The flute is an 1859 Louis Lot (serial number 435, out of 2150 produced during Lot’s lifetime), and appears to have its own page on social media. Lot’s flutes were based on the Böhm model that became the basis for the modern flute. In 1847, Böhm passed on the patent for his flute to Lot and his partner Godfroy. A device that allowed multiple holes to be opened by one lever allowed the flautist to play in all keys and in a wider range than before. The piano is the (1842) Pleyel in the Finchcocks Musical Museum collection, a modest grand of a type with a light action that was favoured by Chopin for its ability to “translate precisely and faithfully the feeling I want to produce”. Continue reading →