By all accounts a truly virtuoso performer known as �the Paganini of the flute�, the Italian Cesare Ciardi wrote principally for his own instrument, his works forming the basis of acclaimed concert performances that took him to many prestigious venues, including London and St Petersburg. Ciardi�s only flute concerto, the Gran Concerto in D, Op. 129 is a dazzling work which affords the soloist many opportunities for virtuosic display and lyrical expressiveness. The other works on this recording demonstrate not only Ciardi�s talent for creating catchy and inventive melodic lines but his great love of folk music. L�eco dell�Arno is a fantasia based on traditional Tuscan themes, Le Rossignol du nord a set of brilliant, song-like variations on a popular Russian theme, while the Carnevale di Venezia is based on the canzonetta Cara mamma mia.