Saverio Mercadante - Flute Concerto in D major (II. Andante alla siciliana) & Flute Concerto in E minor (III. Rondo russo) (Jean-Pierre Rampal)

Saverio Mercadante gained success and renown as an operatic composer during his lifetime, but at present, in an ironic twist of fate, his best-known work is a student project, six concertos for flute and orchestra, especially that in E minor, with its’ daringly virtuoso rondo russo. Dating from 1813, when Mercadante was studying at the conservatory at Naples, it is modeled on a French concerto of the day but displays an effortless Italianate lyricism, confident use of the received forms, and even a few un