The practice of transcription, that is the restatement of existing music into a new and different medium, is as old as the art of composition. Throughout history, composers have transcribed musical works to make use of available resources or to restate ideas in new and innovative ways.

Virtuosi have also adapted compositions to extend the expressive and technical capabilities of their instruments. Virtuosity often arises from the synergy between developing instrumental techniques and innovative compositional requirements. Transcriptions have been an integral part of this process.

Today’s increasing interest in historically accurate performances occasionally results in divergent views on the value of transcriptions. Nevertheless, musicians continue to learn from one another, as they always have. Instrumentalists emulate the beauty of the human voice; wind players cultivate a string player’s ability to sustain line and vary articulations with the bow; and string players imitate a wind player’s breathing to create a natural sense of phrasing.

In creating these transcriptions for flute and piano, Marianne Gedigian and Rick Rowley have sought to expand existing flute repertoire by drawing from lesser-known violin repertoire of the Romantic period. Inspiration for this recording came from the artists’ desire to bridge the gap between traditional flute repertoire and their own musical and creative interests.