Hoffmeister's Magic Flute, Vol. 1 (Live) Boris Bizjak, Lana Trotovšek & Piatti Quartet

• Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754 - 1812): Flute Quartet in C Minor, H. 5929 No. 4:
• 1 Flute Quartet in C Minor, H. 5929 No. 4: I. Allegro (Live) 06:05
• 2 Flute Quartet in C Minor, H. 5929 No. 4: II. Andante (Live) 03:16
• 3 Flute Quartet in C Minor, H. 5929 No. 4: III. Allegro non molto (Live) 04:01
• Flute Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 No. 2:
• 4 Flute Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 No. 2: I. Allegro (Live) 07:00
• 5 Flute Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 No. 2: II. Andante (Live) 03:43
• 6 Flute Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 No. 2: III. Allegretto - Allegro (Live) 04:42
• Duet for Flute & Violin in G Major:
• 7 Duet for Flute & Violin in G Major: I. Allegro (Live) 06:17
• 8 Duet for Flute & Violin in G Major: II. Adagio (Live) 03:43
• 9 Duet for Flute & Violin in G Major: III. Allegretto (Live) 04:00
• Flute Trio in D Major, Op. 11 No. 3:
• 10 Flute Trio in D Major, Op. 11 No. 3: I. Allegro (Live) 05:15
• 11 Flute Trio in D Major, Op. 11 No. 3: II. Adagio (Live) 03:29
• 12 Flute Trio in D Major, Op. 11 No. 3: III. Allegretto (Live) 02:41
• Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, H. 5905 No. 3:
• 13 Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, H. 5905 No. 3: I. Allegro (Live) 07:25
• 14 Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, H. 5905 No. 3: II. Andante (Live) 04:45
• 15 Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, H. 5905 No. 3: III. Allegretto (Live) 04:59
• Total Runtime 01:11:21

Info for Hoffmeister's Magic Flute, Vol. 1 (Live)

SOMM Recordings is delighted to announce the label debuts of two exciting young Slovenian soloists - flautist Boris Bizjak and violinist Lana Trotovšek - and 2015 Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition winners, the Piatti Quartet. They come together for revelatory performances of six pieces for flute, violin and string quartet elements by Frank Anton Hoffmeister, all receiving their first recordings. Now overshadowed by his illustrious contemporaries, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven (music by all whom, including the Diabelli Variations, he published), Hoffmeister was himself a prolific composer in every form. Although the flute is often placed centre-stage in these six works, all demonstrate Hoffmeister's eloquently proportioned, life-enhancing and integrated feeling for chamber music. The two most substantial works here are a taut, dramatically urgent Quartet for flute, violin, viola and cello in C minor, and an E-flat major Quintet for flute, violin, two violas and cello of Mozartian mien and mood.

With echoes of Gluck, Mozart and Haydn, two Trios for flute, violin and cello (in B-flat major and D major) and a Duetto in G major for flute and violin offer superbly expressive examples of Hoffmeister's music at its most effusive and engagingly virtuosic. Hailed in his native Slovenia for his "musicality [and] captivating performance", London-based Boris Bizjak has won several international flute competitions and is in growing demand around the world. Lana Trotovšek, praised by The Washington Post for her "clean, refined tone with musical sense of phrasing and impeccable intonation", is also a Professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

The Piatti Quartet:
Nathaniel Anderson-Frank, violin
Michael Trainor, violin
Tetsuumi Nagata, viola
Jessie Ann Richardson, cello

The Piatti Quartet
are one of the most distinguished quartets of their generation. Prizewinners at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, they have performed in all the major venues and festivals around the U.K., and given concerts throughout the world, with national broadcasts on BBC Radio, ABC (Australia), RTÉ (Ireland) and France Musique (France).

The Piattis are renowned for their diverse programming and for passionate interpretations across the spectrum of quartet writing. World premieres are regularly performed alongside old masterpieces and the Piattis are particularly known for expanding the quartet genre through their collaborations with leading British composers. In 2020 the Piatti will record a new disc of works by Mark-Anthony Turnage (Delphian), featuring three world premiere recordings. They will also perform a new string quartet by Emily Howard at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in April 2021 (a Concertgebouw co-commission). Other current commissions and recent premieres include new works by Darren Bloom, Simon Holt, Freya Waley-Cohen and Jacques Cohen.

In 2019, the Piattis continued their connection to Mark-Anthony Turnage with the world premiere of his fourth string quartet, Winters Edge, at the Klarafestival, Brussels. Co-commissioned by the Quartet, the Wigmore Hall and Flagey ASBL, they gave the UK premiere at the Wigmore Hall.

The Quartet previously commissioned Joseph Phibbs’ String Quartet No.1 and a recently released disc for the Champs Hill label features this work alongside the premiere recording of Turnage’s Twisted Blues with Twisted Ballad, with classics by Britten and Bridge. Amongst glowing reviews, a quote from BBC Music Magazine; “… from soothing pastorale to euphoric rock anthem, this excellent album traces an intriguing path through modern British works for quartet…The Piatti Quartet are on ferociously fine form…”

The Quartet’s other lauded recordings have been released on the Linn Records, NMC and Champs Hill labels. Recent seasons have included debuts in Rotterdam, Istanbul, and Barcelona, and at the Aldeburgh Festival.

At the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Piatti Quartet won 2nd Prize as well as the St.Lawrence SQ prize and the Sidney Griller Award for the best performance of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Contusion.

The Piattis are keen to pass on their passion to future generations and regularly coach chamber music at the Purcell School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. The Quartet would like to thank the Britten Pears Foundation, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, the Hattori Foundation, the Razumovsky Trust, the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, and the Fidelio Trust for their support.

The Piatti Quartet takes its name from the great 19th-century cellist Alfredo Piatti, who was a leading professor and exponent of chamber music at the Royal Academy of Music.

Booklet for Hoffmeister's Magic Flute, Vol. 1 (Live)