Flute Concerto

[martinlest]

A member on another forum suggested I post here (I had no idea this forum existed till yesterday!), in case anyone would care to hear (and comment upon) a little piece I wrote as a student. The slow movement misses the mark by quite a wide margin, but up till then I am still OK with it - especially the two cadenzas in and then after the 1st movement, given that I am not a flautist (and despite it having been written over 40 years ago!).

Originally performed by Richard Adeney/Wren Orchestra/James Judd, but the link here is to a BBC recording made later. Work published by Leduc, Paris. (I don't write in this somewhat 'manic' style now, of course. Oh to be young!!).

Any (polite, haha!) comments welcome 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMe1piN2ErE&list=RDeMe1piN2ErE&start_radio=1&t=79s

[relm1]

Very nice, and welcome to the forum!  Good orchestral writing too.  So you are no longer writing in a manic style?  What is your style now?

[martinlest]

Hello (again: I did listen to the Mathias flute concerto you kindly sent me several weeks back; not the very best of his pieces IMHO - I much prefer the clarinet concerto - and the wonderful piano concertos, for example) and thank you for the comments.

The concerto (mine, I mean!) loses its way, unfortunately - especially in the middle slow section (style over substance), but I still find it not too bad an effort as a student piece! I remember writing it in the 1980s when I lived in St Johns Wood in London, mostly throughout the night, sipping brandy and smoking cigars until the birds started to sing and I went to bed (I was a young student, remember!) I was lucky to have it published by such a well-known company (Messiaen's publisher - indeed I met him through that connection).

I don't really write much these days to be honest... I studied for three years with John Tavener, and that has had an influence over the years. More 'laid back', less frenetic - part of getting older of course!

There's a little trumpet fanfare of mine on YouTube too - used to open a new building in the centre of London, again, many moons ago, when I was at college. I was paid £500 for it - quite a sum back then, especially as it took me about an hour to write!  I remember a man asking me after it had been played why I had written music that was so sad. Still bemused by that even today!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEIlcFiaaug&list=RDSEIlcFiaaug&start_radio=1

Martin