Quality: 10

Difficulty: 10

10:30

Flute, Clarinet, & Piano

Michael Webster arranged this piece for the Webster Trio, formed in 1990 and composed of his wife, Leone Buyse, on flute and Robert Moeling on piano (the Webster Trio Japan has a different pianist, Chizuko Sawa). All are on the faculty of Rice University in Houston, Texas. The ensemble seeks "to expand and promote the repertoire for flute, clarinet, and piano through commissions, transcriptions, and research." Webster has arranged 15 pieces for the ensemble, and the group has three additional pieces written for it.

This transcription, while necessarily lacking the diverse colors of the original orchestral version, nonetheless adheres to the overall mood of Debussy's materpiece. This affords a version of the Faune that can be presented in a recital setting. Buyse's "beautiful renditions of the Faune inspired this project in the first place."

Impressionistic style: negation of beat, use of modes and "new" scales (pentatonic, octatonic, chromatic), two-against-three, planing, ternary form

Original is not actually a prelude, but an orchestral tone poem inspired by Mallarme's poem The Afternoon of a Faun (which is somewhat risque)

Ability to change tone

Accurate rhythm and subdivision

Good pitch

Ability to be a soloist or part of the accompaniment, as needed

Comfortable with soft dynamics

Not for a newly formed group

If possible, work with an orchestra conductor

Listen to different versions of the original

Work individually with a tuner and metronome

Some places call for subtlety, while others need to be exaggerated

Webster Trio; Tour de France; Crystal