The three concertante works for flute and orchestra on this album are by composers who lived and worked in East Germany during the four decades of its existence. Günter Kochan, best known for his symphonic compositions, wrote an admired Concertino in 1964 that fuses succinctness with neo-Classical influence. Inspired by soloist Claudia Stein, Gisbert Näther’s Concerto from 2007 is characterised by teasing, fugitive gestures of a stylistically and technically diverse yet coherent nature. Composed in 1978, Siegfried Matthus’s Concerto is a striking example of his mature idiom in its use of serial elements and sonic innovations in the course of what proves to be an eventful and ever-changing relationship between soloist and orchestra.

Claudia Stein was appointed principal flute of the Staatskapelle Berlin at the age of 23. She has recorded the Flute Sonatas of Frederick II on 8574250: ‘What’s amazing is how Stein’s consummate versatility with shading, tone colour, and above all articulation (especially in rapid, lengthy runs) allows her modern flute to fit perfectly with this Baroque music and the light Baroque keyboard’ (Fanfare).