The Flute Concerto by Robert Simpson was composed in 1989 and dedicated to Susan Milan, the flautist who commissioned the work and gave its premiere in May 1992 at the Malvern Festival with the City of London Sinfonia conducted by Richard Hickox.
The flute enters several bars later with a variation on this phrase with light accompaniment from the orchestra, often consisting of just a single line with the dynamic level remaining at pianissimo for a considerable period of time.
After several minutes a climax is reached, leading into a brief secondary part of the Allegretto where the tempo remains the same but the meter is changed to common time.
A one-in-a-bar scherzo, it begins softly with strings before the flute enters, accompanied by chamber-like subdued textures from the orchestra.
The last five minutes are essentially chamber music - the flute and string soloists forming a quintet, closing peacefully.