Romantic Flute Concertos

France and the flute are inseparably associated. The connection is nothing new, but one with clear historical roots. It was at the beginning of the eighteenth Century that nearly all instruments began to undergo rapid technical development. This set in train an evolution that was to continue well into the next century, the technical changes leading to a marked increase in expressive potential. Instrumental music naturally underwent a similar development.

Paris Conservatoire had, from its beginnings in the days of the French Revolution, a strong tradition of flute classes, with teachers whose names are still familiar. Even today, we can still speak of a French flute school of composition and performance, analogous to the French violin school that assumed its first great importance in the nineteenth century.