#216– September 11, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6HdoCrZ-hs

Concerto for Flute, by American composer, conductor, and teacher Anthony Plog is our Composition of the Week.
Concerto for Flute was written in 1981, it has a duration of 17 minutes, and it is structured in three movements.

I.Andante – Allegro Moderato
II.Andante
III.Allegro Vivace

“The Concerto for Flute (1981) was written for my good friend Martha Aarons and was given its premiere by the University of Northern Illinois Wind Ensemble, Stephen Squires conductor with Martha Aarons as soloist.
The flute is used in various ways to show its many moods and colors. The first movement begins slowly and lyrically with the flute, and this slow section eventually leads to a lively allegro. The second movement is slow and reflective, and at one point features the flute against a somber brass chorale. The final movement highlights the agile technique of the flute, adding a few jazz elements here and there. A reprise of the second movement chorale brings the concerto to a close.” (Program Notes by Anthony Plog)

Anthony Plog has had a rich and varied international career in music—as a composer of operas, symphonic music, and chamber works; as an orchestral musician, soloist, and recording artist; and as a brass teacher and coach at some of the great music conservatories internationally and now online to students around the world.
The music of Anthony Plog has been performed in over 30 countries, and he has been the recipient of numerous grants and commissions. After beginning his career writing extensively for brass, he now works in many different musical forms. He has composed three children’s operas, the first of which (How the Trumpet Got Its Toot) was premiered by the Utah Opera and Symphony. He completed a major tragic opera (Spirits) based on a Holocaust theme and recently finished a new opera about a drone operator suffering a nervous breakdown (The Sacrifice). Other new works include an oratorio about the first major environmental battle in the United States (God’s First Temples), in versions for orchestra, symphonic band, and soprano song cycle; and a cantata using the stories of women who have recovered from sex trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse (Magdalene).

View the score here

More on Anthony Plog:
https://anthonyplog.com

Other works for winds include:

  • Concerto 2010, for brass quintet and wind ensemble
  • Veloce, for Brass Band
  • Symphony, for large brass ensemble and percussion
  • Contemplations, for flugelhorn and wind ensemble
  • Textures, for wind ensemble