Friedrich Daniel Rudolph Kuhlau studied flute with his father, a musician in a military band, and piano with Chr.G. Schwencke, a pupil of C.P.E. Bach. He first made a name for himself as a pianist, finding a position as musician and composer to the Danish court. Although he rarely played the flute later in his life, he remained partial to it as a composer. From his list of 127 works with opus numbers, 29 alone are for piano and flute. An additional 45 works are for the flute in other instrumental combinations.

Kuhlau’s flute sonatas earned particular popularity; Brahms, for example, said that he would have learned to play the flute for these works alone. In addition to their classical formal elements, they are also characterized by traits typical of salon music: long, singing melodies, lively variations, contrasting fantasies, brilliant rondos and virtuosic solos. The Fantasia for solo flute is a dazzling showpiece that spotlights the versatility of this wind instrument.

Swiss flute virtuoso Peter-Lukas Graf is accompanied by Hungarian pianist Zsuzsanna Sirokay.