Leonard Schelb & Accompany Unl - La Flute De Monsieur Buffardin

Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin was clearly one of the most important flautists of the 18th century. Even though we still know surprisingly little about his life, all the evidence suggests that Buffardin was an exceptional player who, half a generation after Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, suddenly transformed flute playing. We can see this in the works that J.S. Bach composed for him, in flute solos in music written for the Dresden court orchestra, and in other works. Thanks to his close contacts with Bach, it is clear that Bach's sons were also familiar with Buffardin's flute playing: he evidently set the same standards for them as well.

Buffardin and his younger colleague Michel Blavet contributed significantly to the development of the flute and to its transformation into a solo instrument; highly demanding works were composed for the instrument from their time onwards. The instrument that Buffardin himself constructed -- which I possess -- was clearly central to this development. Compared to other early flutes with four joints, this flute is very stable in intonation and already relatively flexible, it also has a quick response that allows the player to perform virtuoso passages.- Leonard Schelb

Accompany unltd:

Harpsichord: Anne-Catherine Bucher, Wiebke Weidanz, Alexander von Heiben Tangent, Piano: Ricardo Magnus, Clavichord: Jan Weinhold