James Galway, Phillip Moll - James Galway Plays Schubert (2014)

A busy itinerant flute virtuoso must needs resort to transcriptions of non-flute compositions to provide a sufficiently wide solo repertoire. Of the three Schubert works and arranged here by James Galway, only the Trockne Blumen Variations began life as a composition for flute and piano. The variations provide scope for both the flautist and pianist to excel and the result here is very fine. The Arpeggione Sonata has a realtively humdrum accompaniment, but the solo line transcribes beautifully for the flute. The two movements are coded as tracks 1 and 2, which throws out the numbering of the two following works, but this is not indicated on the leaflet. The famous Standchen too reveals Galway at his most musically expressive and will surely please the many fans of his television appearances. Sound quality is excellent, with the flute central but not too forward, and the piano firmly set off to the right.