Seeing that this concerto is written for two main instruments, it is difficult to improvise at a cadenza, because the instruments should be able to sound well with one another, therefore the players have to know what the other ones play. Therefore, every cadenza that was played alongside with this specific concerto, has been written down beforehand.
Unfortunately, for this specific cadenza I listened to, I wasn’t able to find out who wrote it. The instrumentalists are Frank Theus and Marjan de Haen. The cadenza itself starts 15 bars before the end of the first movement and lasts for roughly 30 seconds.
The flute starts first with the main theme of the concerto. One can barely hear the harp joining in after a short while. Throughout the whole cadenza there is a high variety in dynamics. For the first half of the cadenza the two instruments work “against” one another by using contrary motions combined with a question – answer scheme, whereas the flute is always the one “asking” the question. The mood of the cadenza varies from a cheery sounding stating point to a more mysterious sounding character. Within the last part of the cadenza the the two instruments start working with one another. The flute makes arpeggio movements upwards, performing a thrill on every note. On the highest point, a thrill on e, together with the harp, the orchestra continues playing the last 15 bars of the first movement.
I found that this cadenza had a good length, with roughly 30 seconds. The instruments make a good harmony with one another and I enjoyed the way they “talked” to one another, ending up being on the same level at the end of the cadenza.
Dianas Learning Log 