Andersen's Etudes Op. 37

Carl Joachim Andersen (1847-1909) was a Danish flutist, composer, and conductor. Amongst flutists today he is most known for his many etudes and studies written for the flute and thus holds great pedagogical importance. His etudes tackle all aspects of flute-playing and most probably all flutists have encountered them at one point or another. 

In my early years, an Andersen etude was a regular part of my weekly flute assignments. Now with much more knowledge in musical style and aesthetics, I'm happy to say that I can appreciate them much more than I could before, to the point that I can even feel creative with them. I treated each of the six etudes that I've recorded as "real music", something that one would program and perform in a concert. I really enjoyed the flow of creativity I felt while crafting and crystalizing a distinct character for each of these pieces, carefully observing Andersen's indications but also sometimes diverging from them slightly.From the technical aspect, I gained a lot from experiencing how to work the breath appropriately for the type of phrasing required. 

While the classical keyed flute I recorded on originates from a much earlier time period, non-Boehm* system flutes were certainly still used in the beginning of the 20th century. Andersen himself played on a Meyer flute, also a non-Boehm flute. When properly chosen, this music can certainly be played on earlier instruments. It's a great way to expand one's technique and repertoire. I hope my recordings will inspire fellow flutists to dig deep and discover little treasures in whatever music they're working on!
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*the Boehm flute is basically the western classical flute we know today.

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