Full Orchestral Score and Individual Parts

A New Concerto for Flute and Orchestra The Hummingbird from contemporary American composer James Nathaniel Holland in three movements. A fun and light-hearted piece. Why the hummingbird? Those cute, little, delicate creatures that just want to go about their business admiring the flowers. After living in Costa Rica for some time it couldn’t be farther from the truth, they are aggressive birds that pick a fight with anything that comes into their territory. But let’s talk about this concerto. It first began with the composer’s desire to write a concerto for flute. Influenced by the 3/8 rhythm of the piano sonatas of Alessandro Scarlatti. Hence, the first movement was born with its sort of here, there, and here again quality which reminded me of the many hummingbirds that I’ve seen in Costa Rica. The first movement also contains a quality of jazz to it and is a nice addition to the flute concerto repertoire. The second movement is slow and straight forward. It is relax time that only a flute can evoke. The third is a sort of Mozart styled third Rondo movement. But as you will listen there are some elements that have nothing to do with Mozart. The harmonies are modern as well as some of the rhythmic aspects.