Renaissance Concerto

Description

Flute, Piccolo, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C 1, Trumpet in C 2, Trombone, Timpani, Percussion, Harp, Flute, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabass — Lukas Foss's Renaissance Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1986) is a postmodern masterpiece commissioned and premiered by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and flutist Carol Wincenc under the baton of Foss, Music Director Emeritus. Foss recalled that the flute "was a favorite instrument in the Renaissance and Baroque eras... [and] in ancient Greece, where the Olympic Games included flute playing," and sought out the sound he wanted for this work in early music. The four movements take inspiration from Byrd, Rameau, Monteverdi, and Melvill, ingeniously spiced with unexpected harmonic twists and percussive extended techniques for what the composer described as "an homage to something I love, a handshake across the centuries."