Not one piece on this CD was originally written for the flute. In fact, they were all written for the violin. However, thanks to Denis Bouriakov we can now enjoy these great works on the flute. With the exception of the Saint-Saëns, all the pieces on this disc are world premiere recordings. J.S Bach wrote his sonatas and partitas for solo violin in c.1720 during his employment under Prince Leopold of Cöthen. The Chaconne comes at the end of the second partita in d minor BWV 1004. However, the dance itself has its roots in Latin America and Spain in the late 16th Century. Back then, it was a lively dance-song in triple metre that generally used variation techniques and was associated with servants, slaves, and Amerindians. It was a very secular dance, with suggestive movements and mocking texts, traditionally accompanied by tambourines, guitars and castanets. This, however, is not the Chaconne we hear on this CD. By the time Bach wrote his chaconne, it had become a slower and statelier dance, and it has 32 variations based on an initial harmonic and bass-line ostinato (much like a Passacaglia). There are 3 main sections, where the outer sections are in the tonic minor, the middle section is in the tonic major, which gives the listener a momentary feeling of calm before the variations build in intensity towards a final hearing of the theme. Bach’s fascination with numbers is ever present here, as the movement follows a mathematical ratio known as the Golden Section or Divine Proportion, which was used as far back as the construction of the Egyptian pyramids and can also be found in physical proportions of the human body. There is also a Spanish influence in the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns, which was written for the Spanish violinist Pablo Sarasate in 1863. A melancholic introduction precedes the Rondo, which is full of Spanish flavoured rhythms and melodies. One can be sure that Saint-Saëns would have liked to have heard this work on the flute, since he was a big admirer of the great Paul Taffanel and wrote all of his flute pieces with him in mind. Taffanel was known as the founder of the “French School” of flute playing, which was concerned with the flute being as expressive as the human voice. His famous pupil, Marcel Moyse, said that Taffanel’s sound “was like the natural voice of a true tenor: rich and fully resonant. The notes were rich in vitamins whatever the tessitura.” His unique ability was well-known across the globe. In a letter to Léonce Détroyat, dating back to 1888, Tchaikovsky wrote: “I have made promises to write concertos for piano, violin, cello, flute, etc. to many famous artists (including two in Paris—Dièmer and Taffanel)”. Indeed, sketches for a flute concerto were found among his manuscripts after his death. It is therefore fair for flute players to borrow the Sérénade melancolique. It was written during his first decade in Moscow in 1875 for the violinist Leopold Auer, but Tchaikovsky later withdrew this dedication as the violinist refused to play his concerto. It is a piece full of lyricism and rich harmonies, betraying Tchaikovsky’s great skill in writing haunting melodies, which the great Taffanel would have enriched with his dark, singing tone. The Violin Concerto in D minor by Jean Sibelius is the most-recorded violin concerto from the 20th Century. However, this CD is the first ever recording of a transcription for flute. First written in 1903 (then revised in 1905), it was somewhat revolutionary in the history of virtuoso concertos, since the extreme technical writing is never used superficially; rather it serves the musical and symphonic continuity. Indeed, the first movement cadenza does not simply show the capabilities of the instrument, but acts as the development section. The slow middle movement is extremely beautiful, with images of serene Nordic landscapes. By contrast, the demonic danse macabre of the finale has been described as “a polonaise for polar bears” by Donald Francis Tovey. Fritz Kreisler was born in Vienna in 1875. He began violin tuition at the age of four, was awarded the Paris Conservatoire’s premier prix aged twelve and then went on to become one of the greatest violinists to have ever lived. The Sicilienne and Rigaudon in the style of Francoeur is one of many pieces that Kreisler claimed to have discovered himself. However, this was a hoax, as they were in fact written by Kreisler in 1905, which gives one an insight into Kreisler’s humorous and charming personality, something that can be clearly heard in this piece.