Flute concerto explained
A flute concerto is a concerto for solo flute and instrumental ensemble, customarily the orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. Some major composers have contributed to the flute concerto repertoire, with the best known works including those by Mozart and Vivaldi.
Traditionally a three-movement work, the modern-day flute concerto has occasionally been structured in four or more movements. In some flute concertos, especially from the Baroque and modern eras, the flute is accompanied by a chamber ensemble rather than an orchestra.
Selected repertoire
Baroque
Michel Blavet
Jean-Marie Leclair
- Concerto in C major, Op. 7, No. 3 (also for violin or oboe solo)
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (attributed)
- Flute Concerto in G major
- Flute Concerto in D major
Johann Joachim Quantz (1697–1773) – author of over 300 concertos for the flute.
- Concerto in G major
- Concerto in C minor
Georg Philipp Telemann
Antonio Vivaldi
- Concerto in F major for Flute (La Tempesta di Mare), RV 433 (Op. 10, No. 1), RV 98 and RV 570
- Concerto in G minor for Flute (La Notte), RV 439 (Op. 10, No. 2)
- Concerto in D major for Flute (Il Gardellino), RV 428 (Op. 10 No. 3)
- Concerto in G major for Flute, RV 435 (Op. 10, No. 4)
- Concerto in F major for Flute, RV 434 (Op. 10, No. 5)
- Concerto in G major for Flute, RV 437 (Op. 10, No. 6)
- Concerto in A minor for Flute, RV 440
- Concerto in D major for Flute, RV 429
- Concerto in C major for 2 Flutes, RV 533
- Concerto in D major for Flute, RV 783
Classical
C.P.E. Bach (1714–1788)
- Flute Concerto in D major
- Flute Concerto in G major H.445 (Wq.169)
- Flute Concerto in D minor H.426
- Flute Concerto in A major H.438 (Wq.168)
- Flute concerto in A minor Wq.166
- Flute concerto in B flat major Wq 167
Franz Benda (1709–1786)
- Concerto in G minor
- Concerto in A minor
Domenico Cimarosa
- Concerto for Two Flutes in G Major (1783)
Franz Danzi
- Concerto No. 1 in G major
- Concerto No. 2 in D minor
- Concerto No. 3 in D minor
- Concerto No. 4 in D major
François Devienne
- Concerto No. 1 in D major
- Concerto No. 2 in D major
- Concerto No. 3 in G major
- Concerto No. 4 in G major
- Concerto No. 5 in G major
- Concerto No. 6 in D major
- Concerto No. 7 in E minor
- Concerto No. 8 in G major
- Concerto No. 9 in E minor
- Concerto No. 10 in D major
- Concerto No. 11 in B minor
- Concerto No. 12 in A major
Frederick the Great (1712–1786)
- 4 concertos for flute and strings
Christoph Willibald Gluck (attributed)
Joseph Haydn
- Flute Concerto in D major (lost)
Leopold Hofmann
- Flute Concerto in D major (previously attributed to Haydn)
Franz Anton Hoffmeister
Franz Krommer
Franz Lachner
- Flute Concerto in D minor
Bernhard Molique
- Concerto in D minor for Flute and Orchestra
Leopold Mozart
- Flute Concerto in G major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Josef Reicha
Andreas Romberg
Antonio Rosetti
- Flute Concerto in G major
- Flute Concerto in C major
- Flute Concerto in F major
František Xaver Pokorný
- Flute Concerto in D Major (Boccherini, Op. 27)
Antonio Salieri
- Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Orchestra (1774)
- Concertino da camera for Flute and Strings (1777)
Carl Stamitz
Peter Winter
- Flute Concerto No. 1 in D minor
- Flute Concerto No. 2 in D minor
Romantic
Peter Benoit
- Flute Concerto (Symphonic Tale)
François Borne
- Carmen Fantasie Brillante
Ferdinand Büchner
- Flute Concerto in F minor
Cécile Chaminade
Gaetano Donizetti
- Concertino for Flute and Chamber Orchestra in C minor (1819)
- Concertino for Flute and Orchestra in C major
- Concertino for Flute and Orchestra in D major
Franz Doppler
- Concerto in D minor for two flutes and orchestra
François-Joseph Fétis
Saverio Mercadante
- Concerto in D major
- Concerto in E major
- Concerto in E minor
- Concerto in F major (2 movements)
Carl Reinecke
Carl Gottlieb Reissiger
- Concertino in D major for Flute and Orchestra
Bernhard Romberg
- Concerto in B minor 0202 2000 Strings
Modern
Samuel Adler
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1977)
Kalevi Aho
Robert Aitken
- Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra (Shadows V). (1999)
Sir Malcolm Arnold
- Concerto for Flute and Strings
- Flute Concerto No. 2
Aaron Avshalomov
Leonardo Balada
Flint Juventino Beppe
- Flute Mystery Op.66 a/b (Alto flute / C flute)
- Flute Concerto No.1 Op.70
- Flute Concerto No.2 Op.80
Leonard Bernstein
- Ḥalil, nocturne for flute, percussion, and strings
Rutland Boughton
- Concerto for Flute and Strings
Pierre Boulez
- ...explosante-fixe..., for MIDI-flute, chamber orchestra and electronics (1972–1993)
Henry Brant
- Concerto for flute solo with flute orchestra Ghosts & Gargoyles (2002)
John Carmichael
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra: Phoenix Concerto 2222–4331 perc, harp, string, timpani
Elliott Carter
John Corigliano
Marc-André Dalbavie
Michael Daugherty
- Flute Concerto Trail Of Tears (2010)
Edison Denisov
Pascal Dusapin
- Concerto for flute and string orchestra Galim (1998)
Eric Ewazen
- Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra
Jindřich Feld
Morton Feldman
- Flute and Orchestra (1978)
Arthur Foote
- Nocturne and Scherzo for Flute and String Orchestra
Lukas Foss
- Renaissance Concerto (1985) for Flute and Orchestra
Jean Françaix
- Double Concerto for Flute, Clarinet and Orchestra
- Flute Concerto (1967)
Harald Genzmer
Geoffrey Gordon
Sofia Gubaidulina
- The Deceitful Face of Hope and Despair – Flute Concerto
- Music for Flute, Strings, and Percussion – Flute Concerto
Otar Gordeli
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 8
Charles T. Griffes
- Poem for Flute and Orchestra (1918)
Jorge Grundman
- Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra. On the Back of a Nightingale, Op. 31 (2012)
- Slow Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra. A Promise to Frida, Op. 84 (2021)
Howard Hanson
- Serenade for Solo Flute, Harp and String Orchestra
Chris Harman
- Concerto for flute and orchestra, Catacombs (1999–2000)
Jacques Hétu
Vagn Holmboe
- Flute Concerto No. 1 (1975–6)
- Flute Concerto No. 2 (1981–2)
Alan Hovhaness
- Symphony no 36, Op. 312 for Flute and Orchestra (1978)
Jacques Ibert
Andrew Imbrie
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1977)
Gordon Jacob
- Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra op.1
- Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra op.2
André Jolivet
Giya Kancheli
- Ninna Nanna Per Anna (2008), for solo flute & strings
Aaron Jay Kernis
Peter Paul Koprowski
Aram Khachaturian
Sophie Lacaze
- Het Lam Gods II, for solo flute and flute orchestra (2007)
- Les quatre elements, concerto for flute, children choir and percussions (2005)
- And then there was the sun in the sky, concerto for flute, digeridoo and flute orchestra (2000)
Lowell Liebermann
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra Op.39 (1992)
- Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra Op.48 (1995)
György Ligeti
- Double Concerto, for flute, oboe and orchestra
Jeff Manookian
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra
Peter Mennin
- Concertino for Flute, Strings and Percussion (1945)
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1983)
Olivier Messiaen
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson
- Liongate for Flute and Orchestra
Carl Nielsen
Krzysztof Penderecki
William P. Perry
- Summer Nocturne for Flute and Orchestra (1988)
Walter Piston
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1971)
Yves Prin
Behzad Ranjbaran
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (2013)
Einojuhani Rautavaara
- Flute Concerto Dances with the Winds
Jean Rivier
Joaquín Rodrigo
Ned Rorem
Christopher Rouse
Kaija Saariaho
- Flute Concerto Aile du songe (2001)
Aulis Sallinen
- Flute Concerto Harlekiini, Op. 70 (1995)
R. Murray Schafer
Ole Schmidt
- Concerto for Flute and Strings
Laura Schwendinger
- Waking Dream for Flute and Orchestra (2009)
Eric Sessler
Judith Shatin
Alexander Shchetynsky
Emil Tabakov
- Concerto for 2 Flutes (2003)
Tōru Takemitsu
- Toward the Sea II, for alto flute, harp, and string orchestra
Josef Tal
- Concerto for Flute & Chamber Orchestra (1976)
Joan Tower
Melinda Wagner
Mieczysław Weinberg
- Flute Concerto No. 1, op. 75 (1961)
- Flute Concerto No. 2, op. 148 (1987)
Huw Watkins
Herbert Willi
John Williams
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1969)
Charles Wuorinen
- Chamber Concerto for Flute and 10 Players
Isang Yun
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
- Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1989)
- Concerto Elegia for Flute and Strings (2015)