Flute solo music?

September 19, 2011 5:55 PM

Looking for flute music to play without an accompaniment: I'm a classically trained flutist, and have been asked to play during a casual open mic night in the near future.

The only problem is that I'm used to playing in an orchestra or with a piano accompaniment. I'll need to preform solo. Any recommendations for music? I'm a pretty advanced player, so I'm open for anything - and not necessarily classical. It just has to stand alone & not bore the living crap outta the audience. Any suggestions are appreciated, bonus points if you can direct me to where I can find sheet music. Thanks folks!

posted by DizzyLeaf to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

Best answer: I think the Debussy Syrinx would be an obvious choice.
posted by nonane at 6:00 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

always be asking: what would Ian Anderson play? Don't be afraid to do some really corny music. like James Galway-style Christmas tunes, to get the crowd onto the dance floor
posted by thelonius at 6:02 PM on September 19, 2011

a heavy dose of Jethro Tull may be the best prep for a solo pop flute gig....
posted by thelonius at 6:04 PM on September 19, 2011

The other obvious choice is Varèse's Density 21.5.
posted by dfan at 6:11 PM on September 19, 2011

the old "swingin' shepherd blues"
posted by canoehead at 6:11 PM on September 19, 2011

Any of the Telemann Fantasies would work, I'd think.
posted by honeybee413 at 6:15 PM on September 19, 2011

Best answer: A nice crowd-pleaser is Wil Offerman's "Honami" - it's got some nice extended techniques and is Japanese-sounding without being derivative or "exotic". Much more accessible than Varese and not corny.
posted by daisystomper at 6:40 PM on September 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Robert Muczynski's Three Preludes for unaccompanied flute are winners, especially prelude 1 and 2. The pieces are short, funky, and sound impressive, but aren't that hard to play. I highly recommend these pieces, of not just for your open mike night, but also for fun! The Tango Etudes by Astor Piazolla are also played without accompaniment, and are sultry and cool.
posted by Malla at 6:58 PM on September 19, 2011

The suggestions given already seem great, but if you are planning on playing several different pieces, then I suggest including a movement from Bach's Partita for solo flute. They are beautiful and quite short, and it made me re-realize the natural potential of the instrument.
posted by snufkin5 at 4:16 AM on September 20, 2011

use St. Germain's So Flute (feat. Edouard Labor) to improvise on? Also: Greyboy has some neat jazzy flute breaks.
posted by progosk at 8:55 AM on September 20, 2011

Speaking of Ian Anderson / Jethro Tull, you could do a jazzed up version of Bouree, or a variation of Serenade to a Cuckoo.
posted by Gungho at 8:58 AM on September 20, 2011

Dvorak's Humoresque. I like it better a little faster than this guy's playing it.

Also, whether you can beatbox or not, this would be awesome: Mario Brothers theme.

80s nostalgia will probably go over well in general:
Inspector Gadget,
Star Wars- Muppet Show mashup , etc.

How about arranging the theme songs to several beloved TV shows into one song? (Simpsons, Brady Bunch, Seinfeld, Friends, Three's Company, Golden Girls, etc.) That would be awesome!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:10 AM on September 20, 2011