Beethoven, Serenata in D, Menuet-Trios--Menuet

[Jos Wylin]

Hi everybody,

Here's another exercise to practise the solo patches in chamber music. Beethoven provided the wonderful music. I played that piece (flute) when I was 20 and it was a real joy to handle it in a more 'technical' way now, with samples. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Of course not everything will fit perfectly, it was meant as a learning process and interesting remarks are very welcome.

Flute II, violin and viola solo (full versions), Teldex Studio + Vienna Suite Hybrid Reverb, Small Church.

Serenata in D (Menuet-Trios-Menuet) op. 25, L. van Beethoven

Max

[Acclarion]

Great job!  Really enjoyed the clarity of the string articulations at approx. 1:30.  I'm also partial to the flute 2 sound (relative to the flute 1).  It seems to be "beefier/fuller" to my ears.  Appreciate your effort at humanizing the tempo, with an elegant minuet feel.  Do you play your parts in, or do you import a midi file from Finale/Sibelius?

Dave

[Jos Wylin]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for listening.

I do play the notes, but of course a (digital) piano is not a string instrument and the piano notes only have an attack and a decay. There's a lot of precision work to do afterwards (velocities, expression, balance, CCs...)

Now I'm handling the finer details and a second version will be uploaded soon.

I'm glad you liked the piece. With kind regards to Ludwig!

Max

[thomamd]

I really enjoyed this piece.  I was wondering...did you give the flute enough time to breathe?

Mark

[Jos Wylin]

Hi Mark,

That's always a topic for discussion. A wind instrument player must breathe of course. How much time does it take...? Difficult to say for a non player of that instrument. Since I play the flute and since played the Serenata, I can deduct from my own experience what's exactly necessary here. Too much interruption would disturb the flow of the piece, too little would be impossible to perform it. It's only in the solo passage that the question is relevant. There I've put a number of minimal breathing pauses, just enough to go on playing. In the rest of the piece the phrases are short enough and don't require extra breathing time.

Thanks for listening,

Max

[Jos Wylin]

Hi everybody,

I've posted a new version with some more breathing pauses for the flute. The first one was OK in my opinion, but maybe rather 'tough' for the not so experienced and less trained flute player.

There are some good recordings out there with a lot less breaths, but of course they have been played with the very best players... My last version gives a bit more survival chances to the average flutist. I've mentioned it before: Beethoven understood the flute well, this piece was written very 'flute-istic' and is really not so difficult to play. You don't need to be a virtuoso to perform it correctly.

Serenata in D (v2) (Menuet-Trio1-Menuet-Trio2-Menuet)

Kindly,

Max

[Dale Turner]

OH MAN!! Sublime sounds, maestro Max! I just now listenened to your latest version, apparently adjusted with flautistit sympathy! The trills are amazing, in particular, and all the counterline fun in the supporting instruments... amazing! And the "soundstage"--what great placement of instruments! Thanks for sharing this Beethoven piece!

Flute REALLY sounds great, to my ears, the entire time. KUDOS!!!!

Dale

[Jos Wylin]

Hi Dale,

 

Forgotten to tell you: it's the Flute II, not the Flute I. The first flute is more brilliant and fit for solo work. This one sounds more (with some fantasy) like a traverso...

Cheers,

Max

[Philippe BAYLAC]

Hi Max,

very nice work. I like the close mix, clear and precise. Sounds great, congratulations !

[Jos Wylin]

Thanks a lot, Philippe.

It was a real pleasure working on it. Good music always offers good results with the right means, the will to make the best of it, selfcriticism and perseverance. The fact that it is a piece with few instruments makes it easier to delve deeper into the details and that means rewarding experience. Thanks to my first (classical) love, Beethoven.

Max