The estate of the flautist Conrad Klemm (1925–2010) contained a printed edition of a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arranged by Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831).
The work in question is the Sonata for Piano Four Hands in F major, K. 497.
Ignaz Pleyel’s arrangement forms part of a collection of arrangements published under the title Trois quatuors pour flûte, violon, viole et basse, Opera 38. Gravés par Richomme.
Source: Frans Vester, Flute Music of the 18th Century, M 642, [Paris, I. Pleyel, no. 1286]
On closer inspection, it became clear that Ignaz Pleyel had altered the work to suit his performance and commercial requirements. The slow middle movement was entirely missing. The first movement, Adagio-Allegro di molto, had been shortened by around 70 bars, and the final movement, Rondo Allegro (originally titled Allegro), by around 115 bars.
I decided to record the work in a co-production with Radio SRF.
Christoph Keller, who was in charge of the production, suggested that, given the importance of the work, the missing sections should be completed. The composer Rodolphe Schacher subsequently completed the first and final movements and completely re-arranged the entire middle movement.
When preparing the arrangement for the recording, recourse to the piano score was limited, as the instrumental realisation of the pianist’s phrasing arcs for flute and strings in Pleyel’s edition required some changes. Furthermore, in Ignaz Pleyel’s edition, the phrasing of the individual parts differed significantly from one another. In collaboration with the Casal Quartet, I have endeavoured to propose a coherent phrasing and articulation for all instruments. It is left to the performers to make their own decisions in this regard.
