Masterpieces for flute. Recommended pieces where the flute shines.

Flute Sonata in D major, Op. 94Sergei Prokofiev

S. Prokofiev: Sonata for flute and piano op. 94 – Emmanuel Pahud (recording 1992)

It is the Flute Sonata in D major, Op.

94, composed by the Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Prokofiev.

The piece was written between 1942 and 1943.

It consists of four movements: I.

Moderato, II.

Scherzo, III.

Andante, and IV.

Allegro con brio.

There is also Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No.

2 in D major, Op.

94bis, which is an arrangement of the Flute Sonata in D major, Op.

94.

March “The Stars and Stripes Forever”John Philip Sousa

Sousa: March "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (1976)

This is The Stars and Stripes Forever, a march composed by John Philip Sousa, who is known as the ‘March King’ for having written over 100 marches.

It is one of Sousa’s most famous marches worldwide.

It’s often performed when you join a school band, so many people who played flute in band have likely tackled this piece.

The opening can feel overwhelming with the brass, but from the Trio the woodwinds take over with a flowing melody—and above all, the piccolo soli! The piccolo is a member of the flute family; the instrument itself is smaller than a flute and sounds an octave higher.

That piccolo line evokes an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

Trio No. 1, Op. 83 for Flute, Cello, and PianoLowell Liebermann

Music | “Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano, op.23, No.1” (1990) | 2015 National YoungArts Week

It is Lowell Liebermann’s Trio No.

1, Op.

83 for flute, cello, and piano.

Liebermann is a composer, pianist, and conductor from New York, USA, who performed his own Piano Sonata No.

1 at Carnegie Hall in New York when he was 16.

The piece consists of four movements—Movement I: Allegro, Movement II: Moderato, Movement III: Largo, and Movement IV: Presto.

While the work as a whole flows with a broad, unhurried feel, the driving energy of the final movement, Presto, is truly breathtaking.

12 Fantasias for Solo Flute, No. 10 in F-sharp minorGeorg Philipp Telemann

Telemann | Fantasia No. 10 in F-sharp minor, TWV 40:11, from Twelve Fantasias for Solo Flute

“12 Fantasias for Solo Flute, No.

10 in F-sharp minor” by Georg Philipp Telemann.

Composed by the German composer Georg Philipp Telemann, a leading figure of the late Baroque, this work is unusual for its time in that it lacks basso continuo.

Sonata in B minor for four flutes and basso continuoJacques Lœillet

Loeillet: Sonata in B minor for Four Flutes and Basso Continuo

Sonata in B minor for Four Flutes and Basso Continuo by Jacques Loeillet.

This sonata was composed by Jacques Loeillet, a Baroque composer and oboist from the Spanish Netherlands (present-day Belgium).

It offers rich, full-bodied harmonies performed by four flutes.

Blue TrainHirose Ryohei

Blue Train / Ryohei Hirose

This is Blue Train, composed by Ryohei Hirose.

Hirose, a composer from Hakodate, Hokkaido, wrote this piece in 1979.

The music begins with a train whistle played by two piccolos.

It is a groundbreaking work that depicts a large, heavy train using only flutes.

A Day in the Summer Mountains for Four FlutesEugène Joseph Bozza

Bozza: Flute Quartet “A Day in the Summer Mountains,” complete movements

Eugène Joseph Bozza’s A Day in the Mountains in Summer for four flutes.

Bozza was a French composer who wrote many chamber works, especially for small ensembles.

This piece is one of those, structured as a suite with four movements: I.

Pastorale, II.

By the Rapids, III.

Song of the Forest, and IV.

Rondo.

Rather than evoking the summer mountains themselves, the flute timbres conjure a landscape seen from the perspective of the small birds that live there.

It’s a refreshing work that makes you feel as if you’re actually strolling through the mountains in summer.