Ludwig van Beethoven: Early Works for Flute and Piano

Featuring

Johannes Hustedt
Sontraud Speidel
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composition History

Beethoven's Serenade in D major, Op. 25, was arranged for piano and flute by Franz Xaver Kleinheinz and published as Opus 41, with Beethoven's corrections.

Performer Biography

Sontraud Speidel, the pianist on this recording, is a professor of piano at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has won numerous national and international competitions.

Composition History

Beethoven's early works often involved revisions for different instrumentations, a common practice at the time to make music more marketable.

Composer Biography

After arriving in Vienna, Beethoven faced financial difficulties and hearing loss, leading him to decide to become an independent and exceptionally good composer.

Performer Biography

Johannes Hustedt, the flutist on this recording, is an awardee of the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation Bayreuth and performs worldwide as a crossover artist.

Historical Context

Arrangements, or 'translations' as Beethoven called them, remained popular in the 19th century because private music-making at home was more important than it is today.