Written just 2 years after Mozart wrote his Concerto in G, Stamitz’ Concerto in G is quintessentially “Classical” sounding - we like to call it “Mozart-light.”

 

Ready, set, harmony flutes! Dances with the Winds requires the flutist to play on 4 flutes - piccolo, C flute, alto flute and bass flute. This beautiful work evokes the snowy Scandinavian landscape, a cold and dark work reminiscent of Sibelius and Nielsen. 

 

Malcolm Arnold’s Flute Concerto No. 1 screams of sarcasm, dissonance, and a certain cheeky-ness. Your audience will be on their feet after the raucous third movement, clocking in at just over 2 minutes of rhythmic syncopation and jazzy harmonies.  

 

 

Sir James Galway commissioned this piece, and will be the first to tell you how difficult it truly is to perform! Flutists without the fingers to pull off the daunting first movement (it is Hard with a capital H) will find the second and third movement to be much more approachable, with one of the most haunting and beautiful pastoral melodies in the flute concerto repertory.  

 

 

 

#13 - Concerto per flauto ed orchestra da camera by Krzysztof Penderecki

Our favorite post-apocalyptic concerto. The curious and conversational opening of this concerto features short recurring motives passed off seamlessly between all the members of the chamber orchestra. The conversation crescendos, abruptly turning into a spooky, barren soundscape - a modern, tragic aria that commiserates with other members of the orchestra. 

 

 

#12 - Flute Concerto by Aram Khachaturian 

Violinists may hate it, but this may be our favorite concerto for flute that was not written for flute! The famous opening shows off your killer low register (if you need a new low register study, this is it)  while the main motives are themselves catchy little ear worms. It’s definitely only for the bravest of flutists with a ton of stamina, but this monumental work will give you instant street cred. 

 

 

Perfect for: traditionalists

C.P.E Bach May not be as popular as his dad (we see you, J.S), but this concerto certainly stands on its own two feet. The style straddles the highly contrapuntal style and orchestral sound (read: harpsichord) of the Baroque with the newer forms of the Classical Era. Fans of Sturm and Drang style will especially love the first and third movements, while the sentimental among us will sing through the expressive middle movement. 

 

 

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue meets Shostakovich’s Festive Overture in this highly approachable work by Gordeli. Your audience will love the jazzy harmonic language and pointed rhythmic backbone.  

 

The outer movements of the Rouse Concerto feature Irish folk song melodies that almost sound improvised. This concerto is substantial, yet easy to follow for the audience and fun to play from a performer’s perspective.

 

This 2013 masterpiece will most certainly grow in popularity as it becomes more well-known. The rhythms and meters are complex and driving, bordering on frenetic at times, but there’s lots of room for pensive expression in the elegiac and powerful slower moments. The finale is a brilliant and virtuoso scherzo that evokes the forceful fate of Tchaikovsky or Mahler. 

 

From the composer: "My flute concerto is a musical journey into how the human spirit discovers ways to deal with upheaval, adversity and adapting to a new environment." The “Trail of Tears” soundscape is absolutely beautiful and captivating. Written in 2010, this makes a top play for our “Best Compositions of the 21st Century” list! 

 

With endless virtuosity and the crowd-pleasing aesthetic, the Mercadante is a real winner. Like the Devienne Flute Concerto and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, this piece fits well under the fingers, and the performer will benefit from the composer’s “flutistic” writing.

 

This Concerto could have been #1, if only it had one or two more substantial movements. As it stands, the immaculate, masterfully-composed first movement is always a strong choice.

 

A true masterpiece that we are lucky to be able to call our own, Liebermann's concerto was an easy choice for top 3.  The first movement is an exquisite tone poem reminiscent of a movie score with violent outbursts of jazzy syncopation. The middle movement - difficult to interpret by most standards - is a slow, beautiful crescendo and reprieve, and the finale throws the soloist into a front-and-center role with full virtuosity on display.

 

A sunny first movement and brilliant finale evoke bright optimism throughout this concerto (despite a more introverted middle movement.) Coming in at 23-ish minutes, this Romantic concerto is the perfect length for the professional flutist, and the pace of the piece does not prove overly difficult.

 

Coming in at #1 is the Flute Concerto by Jacques Ibert. This Concerto has a lot to love: the length is perfect (20 minutes), the style is approachable, and the music is both virtuosic and substantive. The first movement is a study in the avant-garde style of broken-interval melodies over a neo-classical harmonic underpinning, the second movement oozes an impressionistic style a la Debussy or Faure, and the finale is basically it’s own mini-concerto wrapped in a neat 8-minute package. In fact, the third movement by itself would score top-5 or so on this list! All in all, it's our top pick for concertos that aren't by Mozart!