Concerto for Piccolo and Piano, Op. 72 No. 2 (2017)

This two-movement concerto was written for Jean-Louis Beaumadier in 2017, who has made an enormous contribution to the contemporary repertoire for piccolo through his commissioning and performing. Beaumadier gave the premiere in Prague under Vahan Mardirossian, with whom he has also made a recording. Born in 1962, Mulsant has established herself as one of the leading living French composers; she has written several works for members of the flute family which are worth exploring.

The Piccolo Concerto has an overall duration of around 13 minutes. The first movement is slow and expressive, with coruscating scalic passages and delicate ornamentations of simple melodic lines. Parallel harmonies add to the mysterious and hypnotic feel of the opening. The music demonstrates the piccolo's gentle character and potential for expression, perhaps a reflection of Beaumadier's artistry. The second movement is livelier, with driving toccata-like motifs and sparkling filigree passages. Here we hear a bit more of the vibrant energy that the piccolo is better known for. Mulsant's compositional language is delicate and distinct; it has resonances of the French impressionist style that became so well established in the twentieth century, but has a contemporary freshness which is highly appealing.

Perhaps one of the most notable features of the piece is the timbral quality achieved by the piccolo; one usually associates the piccolo with high, bright and even squeaky sounds, but in this piece, the focus is on expression, delicacy, lightness and timbral variation. Mulsant's piccolo rarely ventures into the high register, instead she features the earthiness of the low register and the sweetness of the middle register. This is a notable work that deserves to become an established part of the repertoire.