Flute Concerto No. 2, Op. 142 (UK premiere)

Program notes

About the Work

This concert brings the UK premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Second Flute Concerto, a recent addition to the repertoire of one of today’s most flute-friendly composers. Liebermann’s earlier flute works, the Sonata of 1987 and the First Flute Concerto, have become beloved cornerstones of the instrument’s modern repertoire, so a second concerto from him was eagerly awaited by flautists everywhere. The work was first performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2023 and is dedicated to the Icelandic flautist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, whose admiration for the Sonata first brought him to the composer; this LSO performance, with the orchestra’s own principal flute Gareth Davies, gives it its first British outing.

The Second Concerto is cast in three movements. Liebermann writes in a richly lyrical, tonal idiom (warm, romantic and beautifully made) that gives the soloist both singing melody and brilliant virtuosity, set against a colourful, supportive orchestra. For an audience, a UK premiere of this kind offers the pleasure of discovery without the forbidding edge sometimes associated with new music: this is contemporary writing that wears its craft lightly and aims, unashamedly, to move and delight. It sits attractively between the Bernstein and the Dvořák as the programme’s point of fresh discovery, and a showcase for one of the LSO’s own principal players.

What to Listen For

Listen for the flute itself, in all its guises: Liebermann is a master of the instrument, and the concerto explores its full range, from long, expressive, singing melodies to quicksilver, dazzling passagework. Follow the soloist (Gareth Davies, the LSO’s own principal flute) as the solo line weaves above and through the orchestra.

The first movement opens with the flute low and ominous, in the darker part of its range, and gradually draws the orchestra into more energetic music; listen for the balance between lyrical poise and rhythmic energy. The second movement is slower and dreamier, an ‘aria’ for the flute with answering phrases from the orchestra that lets the soloist sing at its most expressive. The finale is energetic and playful, with flute and orchestra vying with each other in brilliant exchanges. Throughout, listen for Liebermann’s warm, romantic harmonic language and his idiomatic, grateful writing for the flute, and enjoy the rare treat of hearing a brand-new concerto by a living composer who genuinely loves and understands the instrument, brought to British audiences for the first time.