Music

Duration: ca. 16'
Instrumentation
PERUSAL SCORE

Concerto for Piano (2012)

Commissioned by Pamela Mia Paul

Available for performance by all ensembles April, 2012, with Pamela Mia Paul, soloist
NOTE: I'm offering this work for a minimal rental fee of $100, and Pamela has generously offered to come is as guest soloist for a very reasonable fee. You can't afford NOT to program this piece. ;)

The Concerto for Piano, commissioned by Pamela Mia Paul, continues my fascination with creating large works out of the smallest possible amount of initial musical material. In this piece, both movements are constructed from the exact same set of descending dyads, though they diverge widely in character and tempo.

Concerto for Piano motivic material

Movement I is a meditation on these intervals, gradually unfolding from the solo Piano opening into an ever-cascading fall of melodic motion, until we finally "land" in Ab major, at which point the music reverses direction, ascending to a euphoric climax. The music dissipates, evaporating upward into solo Piano, just as it began.

Movement II erupts boldly into a playful interweaving of syncopated gestures, with the Piano and ensemble often careening abruptly around sharp rhythmic and dynamic curves, as well as around each other. A groove eventually establishes itself, as the piece incessantly intensifies to a climactic conclusion.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Pamela Mia Paul for commissioning this work, and for her absolutely devoted and tireless support, extraordinary musicianship, and jovial attitude throughout the creation of this work.

Scored for orchestral winds and percussion, the instrumentation is suitable for both symphony orchestras and wind ensembles.

Orchestra

Professional

Educational/Youth

Band

Professional

Medium / Difficult

Educational/Youth

Mixed