Prelude Recitatif et Variations, Op. 3

The Prelude Recitatif et Variations is a rarely-heard gem for flute, viola and piano by Maurice Durufle. Composed as a memorial to Jacques Durand, the three sections move from grief to joy with many flights of imagination in between. Though it is an early opus number, we hear in...

this piece the master composer of the Requiem, with the gorgeous hamonies, contrapuntal mastery, and lush French sound. Those who like Durufle will love this piece. It might be especially valuable to viola players looking to add a beautiful French romantic piece to their repertiore. The viola is very prominent here. At 12 minutes, and with the contrasiting sections, it is almost like a short sonata. Those violists with flautist friends might consider pairing it with the Debussy Sonata for flute, viola, and harp. I would recommend it for advanced players only.

This work fills a useful gap in the literature, there being very few works for flute, viola + piano. It is, like most Impressionist works including the flute, extremely beautiful, and it is also astonishingly well balanced between the flute and viola. It is, unfortunately, written in F# maj with the...

typically impressionist washes of color including multiple accidentals all over the place, making it a great deal easier to play than it is to read, and the piano part in particular is a bit unnecessarily busy, making for some balance problems. Overall it is a very beautiful work but it requires a lot of time to put together.