Andante Religioso from Piano Concerto #3

Andante religioso from Piano Concerto No. 3
Composed by Bela Bartok
Arranged for Flute Quintet by Gudrun Hinze
Published by Alry Publications
Includes score and parts

Instrumentation:
Flute 1
Flute 2 (and Piccolo)
Flute 3
Alto Flute
Bass Flute

Arranger's Notes by Gudrun Hinze:
      Bartok worked on his 3rd Piano Concerto until the very final days of his life. It is the last piece of music he wrote, dedicated to his beloved wife, the pianist Ditta Pasztory. However, she never performed it, because this would have been too emotional for her. 
      The second movement begins and ends with a soft chorale, introduced by a delicate melody floating in from high above. These two chorale parts surround a section with lively bird-like motives and flickering trills. It seems to describe a view of summer landscape with shimmering light, blossoming meadows and singing birds.
      Bartok titles this movement with the heading “Adagio religioso,” even though he was a convinced atheist. For me, this title would not be the confession to a certian religion, but the expression of a peaceful encounter between heaven and earth, the inner light a soul might see during the transition from physical life to a future spiritual world.

Part of the Quintessenz Collection.