Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major

Mozart was in Mannheim on a concert tour in 1778 when he met Ferdinand Dejean, a “gentleman of means” and a keen amateur flautist. A request for three concertos resulted, but Mozart ultimately delivered only two. The Flute Concerto No. 1 goes well beyond Dejean’s request for a “small, easy and short” composition, which may be part of the reason he paid Mozart only half the sum agreed for the overall commission. The Concerto opens brightly, with a bracing string introduction and warm punctuation from a pair of horns. The solo flute bubbles with vitality, spinning roulades requiring considerable technical agility. The slow movement is effortlessly airborne and elegant, while hinting gently at emotional complexities just below the surface. A playful sense of humour permeates the finale, the solo flute delivering a string of high-velocity runs and decorations as the music moves to an unmistakably cheerful conclusion.