Tarantelle

Tarantelle for Flute and Clarinet was Camille Saint-Saëns the first concertante piece. He wrote it in 1857 for the first flute and first clarinet of the imperial academy, and it was they who premiered the work at a private musical soiree organized by Gioacchino Rossini.

This Tarantella is catchy from its opening notes: zesty rhythms and menacing dance music combine to create an amusingly creepy atmosphere. It was orchestrated by Saint-Saëns himself in 1877. In 2014, the Swiss arranger Simon Scheiwiller transcribed this piece for Flute, Clarinet and a Symphonic Windorchestra.