Piano Concertos nos 1 and 3

1970 ◽  
Vol 111 (1525) ◽  
pp. 284
Author(s):  
Anthony Cross ◽  
Bartok ◽  
Barenboim ◽  
NPO ◽  
Boulez
Keyword(s):  
Piano Concertos

A Complementary Pair: Stylistic Experimentation in Mozart's Final Piano Concertos, K. 537 in D and K. 595 in B-flat

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 658-684
Author(s):  
Simon P. Keefe
Keyword(s):  
World View ◽  
Complementary Pair ◽  
Complementary Nature ◽  
Fundamental Shift ◽  
Piano Concertos

Given the chronological separation of Mozart's final piano concertos, K. 537 and K. 595, from his extraordinary sequence of 15 piano concertos of 1782-86 (K. 413-503), it is no surprise that critics have continually stressed stylistic and affective departures from the composer's norm. But the stylistic significance of these final concertos remains fundamentally misunderstood. In spite of sharply contrasting characteristics——ostentatious virtuosity in K. 537 and carefully measured writing in K. 595——these works are, in fact, kindred spirits. In both concertos Mozart experiments with the introduction of abrupt juxtapositions of harmonically contrasting material while avoiding the outright opposition of piano and orchestral forces evident in his earlier Viennese first movements; with piano figuration, omitting it when expected or reconstituting it at important formal junctures; and with unexpected thematic and harmonic disjunctions. While Mozart's harmonic experimentation in K. 537 and 595 can be partially explained in general stylistic terms, given similarities to passages in the last three symphonies, and considered representative of the "bizarre tonal sequences" and "striking modulations" often remarked upon by Mozart's contemporaries, it cannot be attributed to a fundamental shift in the composer's "world view." Rather, the complementary nature of radicalism and innovation in the two first movements in particular——K. 537 in the orchestral and solo expositions and recapitulation and K. 595 in the development——reveals these final concertos as thoroughly pragmatic and systematic essays in stylistic reinvention.

Piano Concertos

1971 ◽  
Vol 112 (1535) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Frank Dawes ◽  
Brahms ◽  
Arrau ◽  
Concertgebouw Orch ◽  
Haitink
Keyword(s):  
Piano Concertos

Piano Concertos nos 3 and 4

1970 ◽  
Vol 111 (1531) ◽  
pp. 905
Author(s):  
Frank Dawes ◽  
Prokofiev ◽  
Browning ◽  
Boston SO ◽  
Leinsdorf
Keyword(s):  
Piano Concertos

Piano Concertos for the Left Hand by Ravel and Prokofiev: Two Answers to One Order

2020 ◽  
pp. 67-91
Author(s):  
В.И. Чернышов
Keyword(s):  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Maurice Ravel ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Sergei Prokofiev ◽  
Piano Concerto ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
Piano Literature ◽  
The One ◽  
Piano Concertos

Пианист Пауль Витгенштейн, желая расширить и обновить свой концертный репертуар, внес в XX веке существенный вклад в фортепианную литературу для левой руки. В 1929–1930 годах он заказывает фортепианный концерт сначала Морису Равелю, а затем Сергею Прокофьеву. Это оказалось возможным благодаря наследству, полученному пианистом после смерти отца — сталелитейного магната Карла Витгенштейна. Если Равелю удалось, хоть и не полностью, удовлетворить потребности заказчика, то Прокофьеву было вовсе отказано в исполнении его музыки. Одной из главных причин неудачи Прокофьева можно считать творческий кризис конца зарубежного периода, когда композитор находился в поисках нового музыкального языка — «новой простоты». В статье прослеживается и сравнивается судьба этих произведений; устанавливаются причины сравнительной невостребованности концерта Прокофьева исполнителями; анализируется композиция, фортепианная фактура и техника, оркестровка. Освещены биографические факты из жизни Пауля Витгенштейна, а также непростые отношения между заказчиком и композиторами. In the twentieth century, the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein made a significant contribution to piano literature for the left hand, which was due to his wish to broaden and update his concert repertoire. In 1929–1930 he ordered a left-handed piano concerto first to Maurice Ravel and then to Sergei Prokofiev. It was possible through the inheritance that Wittgenstein received after the death of his father, the steel magnate Karl Wittgenstein. While Ravel was able to meet the client’s needs, though not completely, Prokofiev was completely denied the performance of his music. One of the main reasons for Prokofiev’s failure might be the creative crisis of the end of the foreign period, when the composer was in search of a new musical language — “the new simplicity”. The article traces and compares the destiny of these piano concertos, specifying the reasons for the relative lack of demand for Prokofiev’s left-handed concerto on behalf of performers. The article also analyzes music, piano texture and technique, form, orchestration of the lefthanded concertos. Special attention is paid to biographical facts from Paul Wittgenstein’s life, as well as uneasy relationship between the client and the composers.

The Piano Concertos

2006 ◽  
pp. 138-218
Author(s):  
William Kinderman
Keyword(s):  
Piano Concertos

The Five Piano Concertos

2020 ◽  
pp. 317-340
Author(s):  
Boris Berman
Keyword(s):  
Piano Music ◽  
Piano Works ◽  
Special Place ◽  
Piano Concertos

Across Prokofiev’s oeuvre, his piano works—and especially his piano concertos—hold a special place. A consummate pianist, he realized early on that, among various performers, he himself was the most persuasive advocate for his music. His appearances as a pianist were opportunities to present his compositions to various international audiences. Each of the piano concertos was a harbinger of important stylistic shifts in the composer’s output in general, and his piano music in particular. This chapter examines each of these works separately, looking into the circumstances of their creation, as well as the changes in Prokofiev’s style demonstrated by each of them. It explores the peculiarities of his writing for piano and the challenges it presents to the performer. By also looking into the changes in Prokofiev’s approach to the instrument as revealed in each concerto, it offers some practical solutions that may be helpful to pianists.

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