Mozart: Flute Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Concerto for Flute and Harp / Andante in C Major / Rondo in D Major

Featuring

Juha Kangas
Sharon Bezaly
Julie Palloc
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

The Flute Concerto in G major, KV 313, and the Andante in C major, KV 315, were commissioned by Ferdinand Dejean, a wealthy Dutch amateur flautist and former doctor with the United East India Company.

Composer Biography

Mozart's 1778 visit to Paris, during which he composed the Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra, KV 299, was a difficult period, marked by professional and financial disappointments and the death of his mother.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mozart expressed a strong dislike for writing for the flute, stating, "I am, as you know, always this reluctant if I have to write for an instrument that I can't stand."

Composition History

Mozart only partially fulfilled Dejean's commission for flute concertos, writing one new concerto, transcribing another from an oboe version, and not starting a third, which resulted in him receiving less payment.

Performer Biography

Sharon Bezaly, the flautist on this recording, plays a 24-carat gold flute custom-built for her by Muramatsu, and is known for her perfect control of circular breathing.

Compositional Technique

The Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra, KV 299, incorporates elements of the sinfonia concertante, a popular genre in Paris at the time of its composition.

Recording & Production

The cadenzas for this album were specially written by Kalevi Aho, a contemporary composer, to expand on Mozart's musical language using the full spectrum of the modern flute.