The solo flute here is kept in high profile by the absence from the orchestra not only of other flutes but also of violins and oboes; in addition the trumpets are used sparingly (they do not for instance play in the slowmovement) so that for much of the time the flute is playing against a mellow ensemble of clarinets horns bassoons and low strings. If this is nevertheless one of Davies's most open-spirited pieces that comes partly from theready flights of the soloist partly from its glockenspiel accompaniments in the outer movements (replaced by ticking claves in the Adagio) partly from the dancing character of so much of the music and partly from the harmonicclarity in a light region not far from C minor.
