Flute Concerto Op. 69 “Dances with the Winds” (Flute and Piano)

Flute Concerto Op. 69 "Dances with the Winds" (Flute and Piano) By Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016), for flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute (one player), Published By Breitkopf and Hartel.

Includes 1 flute part and piano score.

World première: Stockholm, May 4, 1974

Additional to the original scoring for flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute, the flute part in the piano reduction contains ossias for alto flute instead of the bass flute. “The flute concerto ‘Dances with the Winds’ was composed in 1974 for the Swedish flautist Gunilla von Bohr, a specialist in all members of the flute family. The ordinary flute thus alternates with a bass flute at the beginning and end of the four-movement concerto, the second movement is assigned to the shrill piccolo and the third to the sensuous alto flute. The last movement is a summary of all the musical events in the concerto. At the end the bass flute soars to the top of its register, the note D acting as the pivot to many of the symmetries in the work, against a resigned B flat minor chord on the orchestra.”
(Einojuhani Rautavaara)

Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) created the masterpiece “Dances with the Winds” in 1974 for Swedish flutist Gunilla von Bohr. Dances with the Winds requires the solo flutist to perform on 4 flutes - piccolo, C flute, alto flute, and bass flute - at various times in the 4-movement work, meaning that mastery (and ownership) of piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute are a prerequisite for this Concerto. This beautiful work evokes the snowy Scandanavian landscape, a cold and dark work reminiscent of Sibelius and Nielsen. For flutists brave enough to double (quadruple?), this work presents a fuller range of colors than most individual pieces on this list.

This Piece made it onto our list of The 19 Best Flute Concertos Not by Mozart.