Franz Schubert wrote a cycle of variations for flute and piano based on his own lied, “Trockene Blumen” (Dried Flowers) from “Die Schöne Müllerin” (The Beautiful Miller’s Daughter). Flautist Felix Renggli and pianist Mikayel Balyan have made up for the fact that he didn’t write more music for this wonderful combination on this new GENUIN album, quietly but with all the more inspiration and impressiveness. They make so much out of the A-minor Sonata originally conceived for violin that one forgets the title “Sonatina,” by which the work is generally known amongst string players. The sad cheerfulness of the A-major Sonata (also originally for violin and piano) goes to heart so directly that one no longer thinks about the question of “original” and “adaptation.” And the “Dried Flowers“? Listen for yourself to how Renggli and Balyan make it clear that for Schubert, the human voice was the soul of all music …