Tatjana Ruhland(Fl) Timo Handschuh/
Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim
CPO/555 403-2
Roulette
Flute player Tatjana Ruhland's workplace is the SWR Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart. It's not a casino (it's ""). Starting with Kecklan, recorded in 2004, she has released about five albums so far. The last release from the CPO was the Flute Concertos of August Eberhard Müller, a composer born in 1768, recorded in 2014. That was released in 2018, but this time it's the second set of Flute Concertos by the same composer, recorded in 2020. Müller has composed a total of 11 flute concertos, but the score of "No. 2" has been lost. In addition, there are two pieces for flute and orchestra, so a total of 12 pieces can be performed in this genre. In the first collection, three pieces, "No. 1 (G major)", "No. 3 (D major)", and "No. 10 (G major)", were recorded, but this time the lineup is "No. 5 (E minor)", "No. 7 (D minor)", and "No. 8 (F major)". If there are two more discs, the remaining four concertos and two short pieces will be recorded to complete the complete collection. After "Collection 1", there was a four-year gap between the release of "Collection 2", but the profile of Ruland in each booklet is completely different. The profile on her official website is the latest version created in 2020, and at the end there is even a warning that "Never use an old profile". So, in the latest edition of this booklet, the first topic introduced is that she performed Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" with the Berlin Philharmonic in December 2018. In other words, she performed this piece, in which the flute plays a major role, with the Berlin Philharmonic as the first flute player. The conductor at that time was Gergiev, who was still able to perform with the orchestra, and she was performing with the Berlin Philharmonic as a guest principal player. So, she performed from the first "Faun" to the last "Firebird". You can watch the video of this in the Berlin Philharmonic's "Digital Concert Hall", and her performance was as wonderful as the "big stars" such as the original principal players Pahud and Dafoe. In fact, I think she far surpassed Pahud. So I can understand why she added that to her profile. In this concerto by Muller, two of the three pieces are in minor keys. In fact, these are the only two of his concertos that are in a minor key. However, it is also worth noting that even though they are in the same minor key, each one is composed in a way that highlights its own unique character. In "No. 5 (E minor)," the first movement begins with a melancholic theme that is filled with the sadness unique to minor keys. The second movement changes to a major key, but the key is pianissimo. The final movement features technical variations on a minor theme. In contrast, "No. 7 (D minor)" features more intimidating music in a very grand sound with the addition of timpani and trumpets. Here, variations appear in the second movement. Then, in "No. 8 (F major)," elegant music like Mozart begins. In the second movement, the flute plays a very simple melody that is unusual for a concerto, which is a stylish touch. Roland's performance was so wonderful that I was completely captivated. I am especially fascinated by the sparkling grain of the high notes. The perfectly controlled pianissimo is also wonderful. Or rather, like "Volume 1," it feels like the quality of the work is clearly over-specified. CD Artwork © Classic Produktion Osnabrück
