The Flute Concerto is Jean-Pierre Rampal's 1968 arrangement of a work originally written for violin by the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian in 1940. While not one of the most frequently heard works in the repertoire owing to its extraordinary difficulty and - tremendously gruelling for the soloist - length of three-quarters of an hour, its bounty of exotic melodies and powerful rhythms made it one of the 20th century's most popular concert works. Saint Francis of Assisi has inspired more than one composer with his Canticle of the Sun, which has survived on a codex written in Italian around 1250 and kept in Assisi. In this case, the poem prompted Swiss composer and conductor Hermann Suter to write a massive oratorical work for mixed choir, children's choir, soloists and orchestra. It features musical devices that were considered modern in 1923, when the piece was written. With an archaic sound, modal harmonies and Gregogian motifs, these elevate Laudi to the plane of timeless majesty.

Presented by: Zugló Philharmonic