I knew I would enjoy composing a flute concerto. 

Indeed, flutes abound in all my orchestral works, and I have even written a sonata for the soloist and dedicatee of this new concerto, Andrew Nicholson, which is included on my album Chamber Works Vol. II, released in 2022. But I also knew I wanted to avoid the textures of impressionism – definitely no Pan, fauns or mythological beasts this time; here I sought melodic immediacy and rhythmic drive, perhaps reflecting the Mozart, Weber and Copland clarinet concerti I learned in my student days.

Lachlan Skipworth. Photo © Tallulah Chong

Don’t be fooled, then, by the mysterious flute-laden introduction. It’s just a momentary ruse; the music soon surges and spirals up to a whirring tutti. The main theme arrives in the solo flute, its plaintive character singing with the melodic quality I was seeking. And the rhythmic energy is born in the flute’s ornamental flashes which soon overflow into the accompaniment. Such music calls for clarity and lightness, so I kept the orchestra itself quite small with reduced strings, winds and brass, and a preference for mallet percussion over timpani or other...