Concerto For Flute And Orchestra (Flute and Piano)

Concerto For Flute And Orchestra (Flute and Piano) By Behzad Ranjbaran, Published By Theodore Presser, includes flute part and piano score.

Inspired by the alluring human-like sound of the Ney (a Persian bamboo flute), Ranjbaran aimed not only to highlight the modern flutist’s ability to play agile and brilliant passages, but also to emulate the delicate sound of the Ney, particularly in extended solo passages. The three-movement 27-minute concerto was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra for principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner. The piano reduction was designed by the composer to be practical in live flute/piano performances. For advanced performers.

Still in its infancy, this 2013 masterpiece will most certainly ascend to the highest level of Flute Concertos over the next generation. For now, the obscure Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran (b. 1955) can only see more stage time as basically no one except the world’s best - Erik Gratton, Jeffrey Khaner, Aleksandr Haskin - have tackled this massively difficult and lengthy work. Ranjbaran’s Concerto reminds me of a movie score or tone poem (think Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade meets Stravinsky’s Petrouchka or Rite of Spring) in its exotic Persian soundscapes, soaring melodies and beautifully orchestrated score. The rhythms and meters are complex and driving, bordering on frenetic at times, but there’s lots of room for pensive expression in the elegiac and powerful slower moments. The finale is a brilliant and virtuoso scherzo that evokes the forceful fate of Tchaikovsky or Mahler. 

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