Flute Concerto No. 1 (Jolivet)

André Jolivet wrote his first Flute Concerto in 1949. It is scored for solo flute and strings[1][2] and was premièred on 24 January 1950 by soloist Jean-Pierre Rampal.[3]

The work lasts about 13 minutes.[3] It is now part of the standard flute repertoire and several prominent flautists have recorded it.[4][5]

Background

Jolivet associated the sound of the flute with "the breath of life" and was particularly fascinated by its "primitive" connotations.[6]

In 1944, he wrote Chant de Linos for a competition at the Paris Conservatoire. Jean-Pierre Rampal won the First Prize and he and Jolivet became close friends.[6] Five years later, the composer wrote the Flute Concerto for Rampal.

Overview

The concerto is cast in four short movements that follow a slow-fast-slow-fast structure reminiscent of the 17th-century Italian sonata da chiesa.[2] Although tonally adventurous,[7] the work is notable for its melodic simplicity and lack of gratuitous virtuosity, which sets it apart from the Romantic tradition of showy concertos.[2]

The piece starts with a soft, melancholy melody but gets more and more agitated and dissonant as the strings enter, although some brighter passages still appear occasionally. After the dark slow movement the work ends with an Allegro risoluto and a propulsive, thrilling finale.[7][8]

As critic Antoine Goléa remarked:

This is one of Jolivet's works where violence gives way to tenderness, force and passion yield to charm... sometimes lyrical, sometimes piquant and capricious.[1]

Movements
  1. Andante cantabile
  2. Allegro scherzando
  3. Largo
  4. Allegro risoluto

Recordings

References
  1. Blakeman, Edward (1990), La Flûte Enchantée, (Chandos Records), CHAN 8840, liner notes.
  2. New World Symphony, Concerto Showcase, Program Notes by Aaron Grad, January 2015.
  3. IRCAM data sheet
  4. Sarah Louvion: Œuvres pour flûte de Jolivet, Bauzin, Roussel, Ibert - Farao Classics CD (2008) - liner notes "... the concerto for flute and strings by André Jolivet composed in 1949, commissioned by Jean-Pierre Rampal and now part of the repertoire established for flute".
  5. Musicweb-international.com CD Review, Les Rarissimes de André Jolivet, Hubert Culot, 2004.
  6. Musicweb-international.com CD Review, Dominy Clements
  7. Musicweb-international CD Review, Brian Reinhart
  8. Allmusic.com Work Description, Chris Morrison
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