Canzone for flute and piano Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Samuel Barber is best known for his Adagio for strings, op.11, notable for its haunting melody and harmonic tension. His Canzone for flute and piano inhabits a similar sound world. The piece is a transcription of the second movement of the composer's piano concerto op. 38. The concerto was premiered in 1962, with John Browning as soloist, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The music begins with a wistful melody in the flute, accompanied by an oscillating figure in the piano. The melody is then taken up in the piano, and the music modulates through a number of keys as tension builds. Finally, the opening theme is heard once more, before a chromatic postlude in the piano.