Looking for classical flute works

[TheMusicalMarine]

The other day I was listening to NPR's from the top, and they had a kid playing the first movement from Francis Poulenc's flute sonata. I see Naxos has a cd which includes that. I've got some of Vivaldi's flute music. Do any of you have any recommendations? I'd prefer Baroque or Romantic/Impressionistic, but anything will do.

Thanks

[Guy Berger]

It's brief, but check out Debussy's "Syrinx" for solo flute. Very haunting. There's also Debussy's mystical Sonata for Flute Viola & Harp.

Guy

[Ron S]

From the Classical era (between Baroque and Romantic), Mozart wrote some wonderful music for flute and orchestra, including flute concertos and a very nice concerto for flute and harp. I have both of these 3-disc sets of Mozart wind concertos (including great concertos for flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and horn):

I'd recommend either, or both!

[Ron S]

Also from the Classical era, I'd highly recommend this CD, which contains some great music for orchestra and flute by Franz Joseph Haydn, and by his less famous younger brother Michael Haydn:

[TheMusicalMarine]

Guy and Ron, looks like I'll be checking them out. Much thanks.

[jazzbo]

I really like this one. . .Italian Flute Concertos . . .Rampal. .. Sony. Mellow sound, nice material, very relaxing and uplifiting.

Edited March 7, 2005 by jazzbo

[Ron S]

Mozart also wrote some great chamber music for flute (quartets, etc.) you may want to check out. And then there's his phenomenal clarinet quintet (featured in the final episode of the TV version of M*A*S*H). You really can't go wrong with anything by Mozart.

[A Lark Ascending]

It's brief, but check out Debussy's "Syrinx" for solo flute. Very haunting. There's also Debussy's mystical Sonata for Flute Viola & Harp.

Guy

These are breathtaking pieces of music.

Ravel's Introduction & Allegro for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet operates in a similar hazy world.

The flute is widely used in early 20th British pastoral-type music, heavily influenced by Debussy/Ravel. Here's three lovely pieces:

Holst: Fugal Concerto for flute, oboe and strings.

Bliss: Pastoral "Lie Strewn the White Flocks" - a choral/chamber piece with a major flute part.

Boughton: Concerto in D for flute and strings.

The opening to Delius' 'Brigg Fair' has a marvellous flute cadenza.

I have a very nice flute CD from 1990 on Chandos called 'La Flute Enchantee' with various Gallic flute pieces by Jolivet, Saint-Saens, Ibert etc. The flautist is Susan Milan. I'm not sure if it's still in print.

[Larry Kart]

There's an excellent 2-CD Naxos set of C.P. E. Bach's flute concerti (damn fine works) with Patrick Gallois. A bargain.

[Spontooneous]

Bach's B-minor Flute Sonata, BWV 1030, is one of the most amazing things by him you will ever hear.

It's a fairly short leap from Impressionism to the wonderful Sonata for Flute and Piano by Bohuslav Martinu.

Look into some other moderns too: the Nielsen Flute Concerto, the Ballade for Flute and Orchestra by Frank Martin, the Divertimento for Flute and Orchestra by Busoni. None of these is grindingly dissonant or hard to take; all of them will tickle your fancy.

[David Ayers]

Two contrasting suggestions:

A recital of modern sonatas for flute: MARTINU Sonata No.1 PROKOFIEV Sonata No.2 HINDEMITH Sonata played by Mathieu Dufour with Aleksandar Madzar (p) on Harmonia Mundi (budget price, all worthwhile music)

BOULEZ ...explosante-fixe... (effectively an amazing modernist flute concerto, c/w works for piano(s) Notations I-XII, Structures II played by Pierre-Laurent Aimard) Ensemble Intercontemporain/Boulez. Newly reissued on DG at mid-ish price. Amazing.

[B. Goren.]

I like the flute sonatas written by JS Bach.

[A Lark Ascending]

Just listened to this. A beautiful Sunday morning record with lots of flute pieces:

* Quintet for Flute, Violin, Viola, Horn and Bassoon Op 7 (1944) [12'11]

* Duo for Flute and Viola Op 10 (1946) [9'43]

* Divertimento for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet Op 37 (1952) [7'58]

* Oboe Quartet Op 61 (1957) [11'41]

* Flute Sonata Op 121 (1977) [14'31]

* Three Shanties for Wind Quintet Op 4 (1943) [6'55]

[Д.Д.]

Two contrasting suggestions:

A recital of modern sonatas for flute: MARTINU Sonata No.1 PROKOFIEV Sonata No.2 HINDEMITH Sonata played by Mathieu Dufour with Aleksandar Madzar (p) on Harmonia Mundi (budget price, all worthwhile music)

BOULEZ ...explosante-fixe... (effectively an amazing modernist flute concerto, c/w works for piano(s) Notations I-XII, Structures II played by Pierre-Laurent Aimard) Ensemble Intercontemporain/Boulez. Newly reissued on DG at mid-ish price. Amazing.

to both

[A Lark Ascending]

And here's another that went down very well on this up jumped spring morning...

* Quintet for harp and strings

* Elegiac Trio for harp, viola and flute

* Fantasy Sonata for harp and viola

* Sonata for flute and harp

Edited March 13, 2005 by Bev Stapleton

[mikeweil]

Konrad Hünteler's recording of Telemann's solo fantasias:

on Musikproduktion Dabringhaus & Grimm. He plays a unique flute by a famous Baroque wind instrument maker, Jacob Denner, of whom many oboes have survived, but only this one flute, which was discovered in a Nürnberg house before it was laid down. I heard him play this in concert - it is so beautiful!

His other recordings of baroque or classical music on this label are all played on this flute and highly recommended.

Bach's flute sonatas with Karl Kaiser and Musica Alta Ripa on the same label were highly praised by German citics.

[mikeweil]

This excellent recording on period instruments includes Syrinx and the trio - very beautiful, and not a bit academic. I gave this to a friend who was not so wild about period instrument recordings, but she loved this!

[DTMX]

Last night I saw a performance of Astor Piazzolla's Histoire du Tango with Eliot Fisk on guitar and Christina Smith on flute - an amazing work. A little jazzy in spots, and always interesting.

[l p]

bach.

but you may want to check out his viola, and oboe sonatas, some of which he arranged from his flute sonatas, and vise versa.

[mikeweil]

Last night I saw a performance of Astor Piazzolla's Histoire du Tango with Eliot Fisk on guitar and Christina Smith on flute - an amazing work. A little jazzy in spots, and always interesting.

I played these for a while in a trio with my own percussion part composed to it - very nice works but the composer's tempos are a little too fast at times to best display the baeuty of some passages. Still looking for a really satisfying recording.

[A Lark Ascending]

Another obscure one for flute lovers:

Rutland Boughton was an early 20thC English composer who composed a series of huge operas based on Arthurian legend, to be performed at a sort of English Bayreuth at Glastonbury. They're all long forgotten. I think I'm right in saying that John Cowper Powys' 'A Glastonbury Romance' was based on these events.

This CD is a much lighter affair. The flute concerto is lovely, especially the magical slow movement. Recommended.

Edited March 22, 2005 by Bev Stapleton