9 Feb 2019

François SCHUBERT: L'Abeille

From Music Alive, 2:00 pm on 9 February 2019

Dresden-based violinist and composer François Schubert (1808-1878) is not to be confused with the Viennese Franz Schubert.

honey bee

honey bee Photo: supplied

His main claim to fame now is this perpetuum mobile for violin and piano, one of a set of 12 bagatelles.

L'Abeille (The Bee) is very short but deadly, with chromatic steps and accents to imitate the incessant buzzing and possible sting of the insect.

It demands a lot of dexterity in both hands to execute effectively, with very fast scales and arpeggios requiring smooth shifts and bow changes, not to mention quick spiccato and string crossings.

Recorded in Nelson Centre of Musical Arts by RNZ

Sound engineer: Darryl Stack