FLUTE CONCERTO
Duration ca. 23' (2011)
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Commissioned by William Nerenberg and Dorothy Rosenthal.
Premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano, soloist Jeffrey Khaner, Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, March 4, 5 and 8, 2011.
Other performances: Fairfax Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Zimmerman, soloist Christina Jennings, January 19, 2013; Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano, soloist Jeffrey Khaner, March 6 -7, 2014.
But for sheer sonic beauty, the high point was Jonathan Leshnoff’s Flute Concerto. Written just a few years ago, it’s a shimmering and absolutely beautiful work, awash in the iridescent colors... Leshnoff is clearly one of the more gifted young American composers around; kudos to the Fairfax players for showcasing his music.
—Stephen Brookes, The Washington Post, January 2013
But within the confines of that aesthetic, and like with his earlier Violin Concerto, the most elusive attribute for Leshnoff as a composer remains a uniquely identifiable voice. One hears a flood of historical influences as well as similar peer voices within this Flute Concerto though one need not parse out what’s identifiably only Leshnoff, unvarnished, to enjoy this credible work.
—Mark Gresham, Arts Atlanta, March 2014
Though in the neo-tonalist camp, Leshnoff’s concerto never feels like a re-run, or in the least bit inauthentic. He comes to his language with an underlying toughness not always heard in his like-minded contemporaries…The piece has great clarity of intent, even in more complicated fast movements, which the composer tends to anchor around pithy motifs whose transformation shows off his sense of invention. Next to the Ibert and Mozart concertos Khaner also plays, this new work is quite a welcome alternative—and makes one look forward to the oratorio Leshnoff has written for next month’s festival.
—David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2011
program note
Describing his approach to composition, Jonathan Leshnoff acknowledges the preeminence of harmony and melody.
These elements appear throughout Jonathan Leshnoff’s Flute Concerto (2009). William Nerenberg and Dorothy Rosenthal commissioned the work, in honor of their children and grandchildren. Mr. Leshnoff wrote the Concerto for Jeffrey Khaner, Principal Flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Khaner is also the work’s dedicatee. Jeffrey Khaner was the soloist in the Concerto’s world premiere, which took place in Philadelphia on March 4, 2011. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Spano conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The Flute Concerto, in four movements, is based upon a four-note motif, introduced at the start of the work. Mr. Leshnoff explains: “Sometimes (the motif) appears mysteriously, sometimes overtly, and in the end, it appears as a superimposed melody over the triumphant final theme.”
I. Pensive—The Concerto opens with the central, four-note motif. After the orchestra’s introduction of the motif, the soloist enters with music based upon the theme. The soloist remains at the forefront, as the music inexorably gathers energy and intensity. The final measures (Tempo I: Pensive) reprise the hushed atmosphere of the opening bars.
II. Allegro—The second movement is a brilliant and deft scherzo, with quicksilver energetic from start to end, featuring ever-shifting meters, syncopated phrases, and non-stop daredevil writing for the soloist.
III. Slow—The Concerto’s second slow movement is haunting night-music, with multiple cadenzas for the soloist.
IV. Fast—The finale opens with a churning, sixteenth-note figure, the engine for music of extraordinary drive and energy. A more lyrical episode appears twice during the finale. But the opening episode prevails. A final restatement of the central four-note motif heralds the dashing final bars.
- Ken Meltzer © 2014