The magnificent sound and expressive capacity of the baroque flute soon won over composers and music lovers alike, inspiring superb compositions for orchestras and chamber ensembles. But it was the technical improvements introduced in the mid-19th century that made it a favorite instrument of the Romantic era, and its popularity continues to this day.

This recording features the world-renowned soloist Peter-Lukas Graf in a duo with the excellent flautist Gaby Pas-Van Riet. They perform duos and trios accompanied by the great pianist Bruno Canino. J.S. Bach's Trio Sonata BWV 1039 is a wonderfully balanced masterpiece whose expressiveness ranges from playful banter to profound meditation.

His eldest son, Wilhelm Friedeman Bach, combines expressive declamation of affect with traditional polyphonic linearity in the Duetto in F major. The nickname “Beethoven of the flute” attributed to Friedrich Kuhlau is justified, judging by his Trio concertante in G major, Op. 119. Giulio Baldassare Briccialdi, on the other hand, is called the “Paganini of the flute”, as demonstrated by the great virtuosity of the duo concertante for two flutes in F major, op. 100/2.

Two of the greatest flute virtuosos of their time were the Austro-Hungarian brothers Franz and Karl Doppler. Their Rigoletto Fantasy, op. 38, is a typical example of virtuoso, ornamented paraphrase of operatic arias.