Gabriel Fauré - Fantaisie, Op. 79 for Flute and Piano. Fauré composed his Fantaisie, Op. 79, in 1898 for the annual flute competition at the Paris Conservatoire, at the request of the celebrated flutist and professor Paul Taffanel. The work contrasts a lyrical and harmonically sophisticated Andantino with a brilliant, technically demanding Allegro, allowing the performer to display both expressive and virtuosic qualities. Dedicated to Taffanel, the Fantaisie quickly became established as an important work in the flute repertoire and remains one of Fauré's most frequently performed instrumental compositions.