Scaramouche (1913)

Among the 21 items that make up Sibelius’s music for the “tragic pantomime” Scaramouche by Poul Knudsen and Mikael Trepka Bloch – the longest if not the most inspired score he ever wrote – there is a an exquisite flute solo which, after some adaptation, has assumed a life of its own in the concert hall. Headed Tranquillo assai and set in septuptle time, it is pure melody, simply harmonised and refreshing in its linear chastity.