Anyone for flute or trumpet concertos?

[Peter1953]

Personally I like neither the flute (too shrill, not warm-sounding) nor the trumpet (quite banal) as a solo instrument in concertos. In fact, I don’t like the flute or trumpet as single instruments in chamber music either.
However, I wonder how other members think of these two particular instruments? I suppose many of you think differently and know some beautiful (unsung) concertos.

[Alan Howe]

I agree - with the exception of Reinecke's Flute Concerto!! Try tracks 4-6 from the excellent (and cheap) Naxos CD...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Carl-Heinrich-Reinecke-Harfenkonzert-op-182/hnum/3885191

[edurban]

I think I read somewhere (long ago) that Sir George Macfarren had written a flute concerto.  Does anyone know if the score has survived?

David

[eschiss1]

I'll stick my hands up for the flute concertos of Vagn Holmboe, and one of the two by M. Weinberg (I've only heard one so far...) (and their respective trumpet concertos, of course! And the trombone and tuba concertos of the former, and Hindemith's trumpet and bassoon concerto too- maybe my ears are more forgiving, or something. Even those though are for example). 
As to the MacFarren, don't know- Worldcat lists only a piano reduction by Natalia MacFarren, and that only at one library. The work has unfortunately not gotten around much.
Eric

[Marcus]

Hello edurban,
George Macfarren wrote 3 concertos, and the Flute Concerto you mention dates from 1863.
He wrote a Piano Concerto 1835, and a Violin concerto 1872-4. The Flute concerto was performed in London on 24/2/1864, together with works by Alice Mary Smith, so I suggest that the parts or manuscript would be in a library somewhere.
 
Marcus.

[Steven Eldredge]

Hands up for the Reinecke Flute Concerto, which is a really lovely piece.

[Alan Howe]

My hand's already up...

[FBerwald]

How about the Flute concertos of Savario Marcadante. There are some lovely unknown flute concertos ... the ones that come to mind  - Rutland Boughton's concerto.
Gounod's flute concerto.
Avshalomov's rather chinese concerto.
Peter Benoit - flute concerto!!

[TerraEpon]

How about the Flute concertos of Savario Marcadante. There are some lovely unknown flute concertos ...

I'd say the E minor one is pretty known. I love all three though (assuming there is only three).

There's also Devienne, if you like 2nd tier high classical concerti, who wrote quite a number of them (I'm currently playing a wonderful clarinet sonata by him, unfortunately unrecorded).

There's of course more modern stuff -- Corigliano's Pied Piper Fantasy is an interesting piece, and Lowell Liebermann wrote a pretty popular concerto (as well as the piccolo concerto which has an almost Schickele-ian final movement).

As for trumpet concerti, there's so very very little as far as the tastes of most people here (i.e. tonal and romantic)...

[JimL]

How about the Flute concertos of Savario Marcadante. There are some lovely unknown flute concertos ... the ones that come to mind  - Rutland Boughton's concerto.
Gounod's flute concerto.
Avshalomov's rather chinese concerto.
Peter Benoit - flute concerto!!

I'd say the E minor one is pretty known. I love all three though (assuming there is only three).

I believe that Mercadante composed seven flute concertos in all.  The E Minor concerto is undoubtedly his most popular, and that is his 3rd, IIRC.  Although it is scored for flute and strings, I believe that among the others are works that are scored for full orchestra, although I have only heard the E Minor.  I was completely unaware that Gounod composed a flute concerto and I'm wondering if it is lost.  Surely, if this is Charles Gounod we're talking about someone would have taken an interest in it by now.

[Alan Howe]

Gounod composed a Flute Concertino...

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/15444/Charles-Fran%C3%A7ois-Gounod-Concertino-for-Flute-and-Small-Orchestra

[Hofrat]

Franz Danzi wrote 4 concerti for the flute and orchestra.  Quite charming pieces. 

[Peter1953]

I wonder whether the Flute Concerto was more popular in the Baroque and Classical era than in the Romantic era (another example is François Devienne, 1759-1803, who composed some 13 Flute Concertos).
Yes, the Reinecke is a beautifully crafted concerto, although it is a pity that the solo instrument isn’t an oboe, clarinet or bassoon…
And then there is Carl Nielsen. I have the Naxos CD coupling the Violin Concerto (I quite like it), the Clarinet Concerto (…) and the Flute Concerto, which is in my perception an experiment of scrambled notes.

[DennisS]

Hello all

I know he is not "unsung" but as Alan mentioned Gounod, I felt it was ok to say that one of my all time favourite flute concertos is Khachaturian's flute concerto, an absolute stunner (a reworking of his vc in fact)!

cheers
Dennis

[Marcus]

Of the 20thc Flute concertos, I have grown to like that by Carl Neilsen, also the Fugal concerto (flute & oboe) by Gustav Holst.
Of the romantics, I particularly like the Reinecke & Chaminade.
But my favourites are those of  J.Haydn & W.Mozart, who, for me at least,  capture the beauty of the  flute better than anyone else. Bellini & Donizetti also wrote flute concertos, as far as I know.
A recently released disc , and a work, which I haven't yet heard, is a Symphony Concerto for Flute & orchestra by Hendrik Waelput (1845-85), completely unknown to me. Also on the disc are the Concerto symphonique for Flute & orchestra by Benoit & the Fetis concerto. Has anyone heard the Waelput work ?
I am not a great fan of Trumpet(or Trombone) concertos. I find the blaring sounds, particularly in the hands of some players, an assault on the ear. But having said that, I love the E flat concerto of Haydn, & those by Mozart, Telemann & Hummel are good to listen to occasionaly.
Also the Bach Brandenburg concertos (no2), are above criticism,  & although the instrument (trumpet) was different from the modern instrument,  the timbre is the same, but I am in the wrong century !
Two virtuoso Flute concertos have been written by New Zealand composers Alan Ritchie (b1960), and Chloe Moon (b1952). Both are entertaining neo classical works. Ritchie has also recently written a Double Concerto for Bass Clarinet, Cello & orchestra.

Marcus.