One of the oldest extant musical instruments, the flute looks pretty good for its age. With its earliest forms dating as far back as 43,000 years ago, the flute has developed alongside modern humanity and in many ways has changed with us. It has traveled into every era of development and has become a staple sound in the music of most cultures. Even today, in the era of technology, it keeps up with us in the form of electroacoustic music and electronically-manipulated sounds.
The flute represents a large group of the music in the catalogs of each of PARMA’s four labels—which speaks volumes to the many facets of flutes, as each label presents very different sounds and styles. From the daring new classical works of Navona’s ETEREO with Lindsey Goodman or AERO with Dieter Flury to the electronically-manipulated music of Ravello Records’ REACT, from the Spanish and Portuguese influences in Big Round Records’ COSTAS to the central role of Native American flutes on Ansonica Records’ A PATH OF LIGHT, flutes are a key player across the board.
In our handpicked flute playlist, explore this historied, multifaceted instrument in full color.
