Borne composed numerous works for flute, such as Ballade and Dance of the Elves for flute and piano, Confidence Op. 12, Brilliant Fantasy on the opera The African by Meyerbeer. His most famous composition is Fantaisie Brillante sur l’opera Carmen for flute and orchestra.
Georges Bizet’s opera was written in 1874. After its failed premiere on March 3rd 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris (it was considered immoral because of its plot), it was staged in Vienna on October 23rd , 1875 (five months after its author’s death) with great success and is still the most popular French opera. Inspired by its vivid thematic material, François Borne composed his Brilliant Fantasia for flute and piano. It was published in Paris in 1880. In 1980 it was orchestrated by Raymond Meylan. The Fantasy is structured as variations on the opera’s best-known melodies, in which Born brilliantly demonstrated the technical capabilities of the flute and the skill of the performers. The entire range of the instrument is covered in the piece. It is a model of virtuoso flute repertoire.