Iconic Women in Flute History

celebrates four female flautists of the 18th and 20th Centuries who became leading artists in the historically male-dominated field. Motivated to push boundaries, these women have profoundly shaped the flute world into what it is today. In 18th Century Europe, Marianne Davies was a prodigious British multi-instrumentalist and singer and in France, Johanne Sophie Mudrich was a pioneering professional flautist. In 20th Century America, Frances Blaisdell was the first female flute soloist to perform with the New York Philharmonic (1932) and compatriot Doriot Anthony Dwyer was Boston Symphony Orchestra’s solo flute 1952-1990; both were highly influential teachers for many years.

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All opened doors and paved the way for many imaginative and outstanding contemporary female flute players, who​ continue to uncover and challenge ​the possibilities of the instrument, enchanting audiences, and inspiring leading composers. The​ works presented in this programme pay tribute to each of these iconic female pioneers and showcase the versatility of the instrument from the early 1800’s through the 20th Century.

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The Flute Sonata in B minor, op.1, No.9, HWV367b is Handel’s most grandiose and complex work published for the flute. Originally written for recorder and keyboard in D minor, it was transposed to B minor for the flute in 1730, omitting two of the seven movements. The Sonata is performed today in its entirety and holds significance as one of the most remarkable baroque works composed for the flute. Marianne Davies’ concert programmes showed a clear affinity for the music of Handel, often including his harpsichord concertos in her public performances.

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Cécile Chaminade’s Concertino was commissioned in 1902 for the Paris Conservatoire’s annual flute competition and, three years later, she arranged it for the London debut of American flute-player Marguerite de Forest Anderson. Leading flautists around the world have played and taught this work ever since. Blaisdell was an admirer of Chaminade’s work and performed this piece in her successful audition for the Juilliard School of Music.

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Mozart composed his KV 376 Sonata No.24 in F major in the late 1770’s, at the time Mlle Mudrich was active as a performer. The composition was published in 1781 in a collection titled “Six Sonatas for piano with the accompaniment of a violin by the sufficiently well-known and famous Herr Wolfgang Amadee Mozart, Op 2.” Although the Sonata is not originally composed for the flute, it suits the character of the instrument and highlights vividly interpretations of Mozart works. Translating the work for the flute reflects the culture of transcription that was prevalent in the 18th Century and evokes the atmosphere of the late 18th and early 19th Century salons, bringing the listener into the musical world of Johanne Mudrich.

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The Sonatine for Flute and Piano is an early Henri Dutilleux work (1943), commissioned as one of four test pieces for the Paris Conservatoire’s annual flute competition. It consists of three movements: Allegretto, followed by an Andante and a closing Animé section. The Sonatine became a central piece of Dwyer’s and others’ flute repertoire and is the most recorded of all Dutilleux’s compositions.