Drouet Quartett (Sonderpreis nur solange Vorrat)

The Quartet for flute and strings in C major (c. 1827) by itinerant flute virtuoso Louis Drouët (1792–1873) belongs to a genre that had seen its heyday in the late 1770s and early 1780s, yet the work shares few characteristics with its Classical predecessors. Fundamentally it is a light-hearted showpiece for the flute in which the strings are relegated to an accompanying role. Set in four movements — the first a sonata-allegro; the second a relatively brief adagio; the third ostensibly a minuetto and trio but in reality a scherzo; the fourth a rondo — the quartet is very much a product of its time, when musical considerations frequently took second place to instrumental technique and bravura. However, the piece’s deceptively demanding flute part also features episodes that reveal the composer’s undeniable melodic gifts, with the result that this work is both rewarding to perform and most enjoyable to listen to.