Article originally published in Dutch by blokfluitist jaargang 3,

nr. 3 (september 2011) and reprinted by permission.

Arcangelo Corelli La Follia
Have recorders will travel!
In December of 1998 I was asked to do a series of concerts and
master classes in Israel. On the morning of my first performance I
met for the first time with harpsichordist, Evgeny Lisogursky,
who was to accompany me thoughout my stay in Israel.
The only language we had in common was our music; we had
time for only the briefest of rehearsals before arriving at the hall
just before the concert without having been able to read through
all of the pieces on the program that included not only Corellis
La Follia, but also Handels B minor sonata (HWV 367b),
Telemanns B flat major Triosonata (TWV 42:B4) and a Bach
Sonata. La Follia was one of the pieces that we hadnt been able
to read all the way through before the performance but Evgeny
and I played together as if we had been friends and colleagues for
years.
After the recital I was approached by a gentleman who introduced
himself as the French ambassador to Israel who, after
complimenting me, started wagging his finger and, with
increasing heat, told me that hed known Dr. Carl Dolmetsch
(1911-1997) personally and that he had heard him play Corellis
Follia and that I should be very careful as he felt that I had
copied Dr. Carls interpretation of La Follia. I smilingly
thanked him for his keen observation and told him that I found his
words very interesting in that, although Id never heard Dr. Carl
play Corellis Follia, that I did have a possible explanation for his
comment in that the basis for my interpretation of La Follia was
from my lessons with [French harpsichordist/Early Music guru]
Antoine Geoffroy-Dechaume (1905-2000) who, like Dr. Carl
Dolmetsch, was a student of Dr. Carls father, Arnold Dolmetsch
(1858-1940).
When I listen to colleagues or to students play La Follia I always
try to keep an open mind as there are many different possible
ways of phrasing. I personally prefer the building block model

for this piece. You know the childs toy that has a small box that
fits in a bigger box that fits in a bigger box again? I find that most
of Corellis variations fit this model perfectly if you consider each
box as a paired subgroup, a yin and yang, if you wish. Measure
1 is yin to measure 2s yang; measures 1 and 2 together are
themselves a yin to measures 3 and 4s yang; similarly measures
1-4 and 5-8, measures 1-8 and 9-16. Some of the variations are
also written in pairs. The deviations from this symmetry are of
course as important as the symmetry itself and contribute to the
fact that each time I teach or practice this piece I find something
new in it.
Of all of the Baroque compositions for recorder, La Follia is
certainly one of the most taxing for instrument and performer
alike. It requires an instrument that is strong in the lower register
but agile in the upper register, a balance that recorder builders and
players are constantly searching for. La Follia also represents the
longest uninterrupted playing there is in our Baroque repertoire,
something that can easily cause problems with condensation in
both the windway and the thumbhole. Another risk that I am
always careful to point out to my students is a too frequent use of
over-tonguing because of the pieces remarkable technical
demands in high notes and leaps. My motto for them in this case
is less is more and more is less.
While writing this article I listened to as many recordings of La
Follia as I could find and, of all of them, the one that convinced
me the most was by fellow [blokfluitist] contributor, Pieter-Jan
Belder, whose recording brings to light and corrects several
inaccuracies of the 1702 edition including the two repeat marks
that are lacking at the end of the third- and fourth-to-last
variations. This corresponds, respectively, to measures 305 and
313, both in the excellent edition by Andrea Bornstein that can be
found at www.gardane.info/flautodolce and in the Hans-Martin
Linde Schott edition that most recorder players of my generation
grew up with.

I feel extremely fortunate that I have been able to make a living

with the recorder. My professional life has been punctuated by a
series of wonderful experiences and coincidences, I have travelled
to many parts of the world, encountered many extraordinary
people and musicians and Corellis La Follia has accompanied
me to most of them. I recall performances of La Follia in
Australia, England, Israel, Italy, France, Russia, Switzerland and
the USA. Have recorders will travel!
David Bellugi
Florence, Italy - June 20, 2011

David Bellugi has performed extensively as soloist and as

conductor/soloist with orchestras over several continents and has
premiered various works written for and specifically dedicated to him
by a wide range of contemporary composers. He has recorded film
music for Italian composer Ennio Morricone and American composer
Michael Galasso. Bellugi's discography includes his innovative CD
Landscapes, a virtual orchestra of recorders, described as a
technological and musical tour de force, many recordings made with
the Berry Hayward Consort (Paris, France) as well as other innovative
and spirited CDs with Italian accordionist Ivano Battiston. David
teaches recorder and is chairman of the Early Music Department at the
Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence, Italy.