Flute Concerto

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, José Serebrier, conductor; Jeffrey Khaner, flute

Using a slippery harmonic language pioneered by the likes of Debussy, Ned Rorem’s Flute Concerto shimmers with a nostalgic, yet timeless sense of beauty. At moments the soloist’s part dips up and down the register like harp arpeggios, always landing on its feet as gracefully as a cat. Composed only four years ago, the concerto proves that Rorem hasn’t lost a bit of his musical prowess.

—RN