Concerto in C for Flute and Orchestra

Greetings!  Haven't stopped by in a while, thought I'd take the occasion of winning the 20 Year Membership badge (!) to drop in and share a big something I finished recently.  

This is one of those pieces I have worked with, off and on, for many years - I began composing it in 2001 and just finished it this summer.  I cannot account for exactly why it took me so long to bring this to completion, except that for much of that time I didn't feel worthy of the material I had sketched, and couldn't readily come up with ideas to match it in quality.  

This piece is in my usual Classical style, unusual mainly in that I have employed an exceptionally large orchestra, including three trombones.  Ostensibly, it is written for instruments of the period, roughly 1800 to 1810, though I have it on good authority that the flute part is in places nearly unplayable on a flute of that time - not impossible, but extremely difficult in such places as the frightful two-octave ascending chromatic scale in the first movement, and the mortifying cadenza in the third.  Ordinarily I would have edited the piece on such advice, but there comes a time when artistic vision must prevail, and this was one of those times.  

The opening movement is a standard Sonata-Allegro as typically modified for concerti in the Classical period.  The second movement (Andante) is broad and expressive.  The third movement is a Polonaise (Vivace alla Polacca) in the form of a Rondo.  

I hope you enjoy the piece, and as always I look forward to any comments you may have.  Thanks!  

A lively interesting work ... in a classic classical style. Quite enjoyable ..... with a very clean/precise orchestration. 🙂

Mark

I enjoyed so many moments in this! Your music is mature and elegant, this was very fun and enjoyable to listen to (even twice 😄)

I love that B theme in the 1st movement, and you end this around the 21 minute mark brilliantly with the vi bVI I chords, it was my favorite part. I always admired how Beethoven saved the best part of his music for just the right moments, and yours gave me a similar feeling. 

Thanks for sharing and popping by! Keep writing, I love your music

Nice work!

Just have one notational point. 
The staff for the soloists part in a concerto, should always be positioned directly above the 1st violins (see attached image). 
 

Not much to say in critique of this work. Very Neo-Classical and elegant 🙂

Awesome work. I'd love to see this performed live!

Hello @J. Lee Graham and welcome back to the forum!

Wow!  What a wonderfully accomplished work!  I am glad that despite feeling "unworthy of the material" that you managed to finish it after more than 20 years!!!  I also have had such an experience.  I started my Variations on "Deck the Halls" for Piano and Orchestra back in the 2000's as well, over a decade before when I ended up finishing it.  And it was only thanks to the fact that I learned to write music on paper that I managed to have the discipline to finish it.

On 9/23/2025 at 4:47 PM, J. Lee Graham said:

Ostensibly, it is written for instruments of the period, roughly 1800 to 1810, though I have it on good authority that the flute part is in places nearly unplayable on a flute of that time - not impossible, but extremely difficult in such places as the frightful two-octave ascending chromatic scale in the first movement, and the mortifying cadenza in the third.  Ordinarily I would have edited the piece on such advice, but there comes a time when artistic vision must prevail, and this was one of those times.

I totally understand the sentiment!  It is hard to limit yourself when writing for period instruments when you know that superior versions of the instruments would in fact have capabilities that would very much facilitate the music in question for the composer.  I think I would also leave the piece as-is knowing that there do in fact exist versions of the instruments with the capability to actually perform the piece live, which is ultimately all that I would care about.

I have to say that my favorite movement is the Polonaise!  What a delight to hear someone include this stately Polish dance in a concerto!  I am Polish myself and have danced the Polonaise as a youth in a Polish Folk Dance Ensemble.  The dance has all the pomp and nobility of the spirit of Poland!  I think it was also you who remarked that your favorite National Anthem is the Mazurek Dabrowskiego in an old thread I read somewhere.  I actually have always dreamed of creating a mash-up of the Mazurek with the American National Anthem to create a kind of "Polish-American Heritage Anthem".  We'll see if that ever comes to fruition!  Thanks for sharing this wonderfully bright piece!  I thoroughly enjoyed it!