Reinecke had a long life that took place in the 19^th  and early 20^th  centuries, when rapid changes were taking place in the musical world. But his works are conservative in the best sense, in the spirit of the rich harmonic idiom of late Romanticism. He composed the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 283 in 1908, two years before his death – he was 84 then. An excellent connoisseur of the instrument, the composer wrote another famous work for flute, the Undine sonata (1882).

The concerto is in the usual 3 contrasting movements of the genre. The first is in a light, dreamy mood and a relaxed tempo. The second, marked “con dolore” by the composer, is an expressive lamento leading to the finale, a sparkling energetic rondo. Reinecke’s work is not the banal, stereotyped virtuoso concerto for flute. Its haunting poetics and fantasy-like quality make it one of the most beloved concertos for performers. Its world premiere was on 15 March 1909 in Leipzig with the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the soloist being Maximilian Schwedler, to whom the work is dedicated.