Ruthless Alexis Abbott

Here Alexis Kossenko (flute) and Vassilis Varvaresos (piano) plunge us into the fantastic atmosphere of Northern Europe in the second half of the Nineteenth Century, when composers’ imaginations were fired by folktale and legend. The water spirit Ondine inspired Carl Reinecke, whose op. 167 provides the starting point for an allegorical programme inhabited by disturbing and fascinating creatures.

For the 300th anniversary of C. P. E. Bach’s birth, Alpha proposes discovering the work of one of the Cantor’s sons from an original angle: that of the Alexis Kossenko’s flute.
In this boxed set, Alpha has brought together the complete Flute Concertos as well as the marvellous Trio Sonatas, masterpieces that allow for discovering Carl Philipp Emanuel’s close connection with the traverso, and also perceiving Alexis Kossenko’s strong ties with this brilliant composer.

It is difficult to think of Mendelssohn without being reminded of the extraordinary evocative power of his music, capable of conjuring up bright Italian sunshine, grey Scottish landscapes, and the magical world of fairies. He was a child prodigy and an outstanding composer, but he tends nevertheless to be neglected, compared to other members of his generation in the nineteenth century – to the detriment of his art, which is fascinating in so many ways.