Carol Wincenc & Eliot Fisk: Two American Virtuosi

Two American Virtuosi Perform liner notes

Of all instrumental combinations few are a, colorful and engaging as guitar and flute. The harmonic richness and tonal clarity of this particular stringed instrument perfectly complement the melodic agility and timbre of the flute. More and more, composer are being drawn to write for this medium, but for the present, the dearth of original works of high quality makes transcriptions an absolute necessity. Thus, one entire side of this recording is devoted to music which originally was written for other instruments. In choosing works suitable for transcribing, obvious parameters such as range, key, texture, etc., need to be considered, but much more to the point is the overall effect of the music in its new guise: a transcription should sound as natural and idiomatic as the original. No less important, however, is the need to be scrupulously faithful to the source material, and, bearing this in mind, it is clear that the choice of music which can realistically be adapted for flute and guitar is limited. Although symphonies and string quartets may be inappropriate, there are vast numbers of musical treasures to be found among the solo pieces and small chamber works of great composers, and it is from these areas of musical composition that the six transcriptions presented here are taken.