Martin, Frank / orch. Ansermet, Ernest

Frank Martin – Ballad for Flute and Piano (1939) arranged for orchestra by Ernest Ansermet (1939)

(b. Geneva, 15 September 1890 – d. Naarden, Netherlands, 21 November 1974)

The Ballad for Flute originated at the same time as the oratorio Le vin herbé and shares Martin’s newly discovered modernist idiom. It was composed as a compulsory set-piece for the 1939 Geneva Competition, originally with piano accompaniment. A version for large orchestra (with celesta and alto saxophone) was immediately prepared by Ernest Ansermet in 1939, and two years later the composer himself arranged it for flute, strings, and piano. As with all competition pieces, it places comprehensive demands on the player’s technique, calling for special virtuosity in every register and tempo, yet it has a distinctive, mournful flavor that has allowed it to find a lasting place in the concert repertoire alongside Martin’s other ballads for solo instrument. —

Full preface / Komplettes Vorwort > HERE