Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (Vaughan Williams)
Encyclopedia
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra is a piano
concerto
by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams
. He wrote his solo Piano Concerto
in the years between 1926 and 1930, which was first performed in 1933 under Adrian Boult
. The piece gained a reputation for being too difficult and demanding, so Vaughan Williams reworked the piece for two pianos with the assistance of Joseph Cooper
. This revised edition premiered in 1946.
The piece is difficult, and the piano parts are often percussive and dissonant. It is in three movements:
The piece lasts about 25 minutes.
For the slow movement, Vaughan Williams quoted
the theme from the Epilogue of the third movement of Arnold Bax
's Symphony No. 3
.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
. He wrote his solo Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto (Vaughan Williams)
The Piano Concerto in C is a concertante work by Ralph Vaughan Williams written in 1926 and 1930-31 . During the intervening years, the composer completed Job: A Masque for Dancing and began work on his Fourth Symphony...
in the years between 1926 and 1930, which was first performed in 1933 under Adrian Boult
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
. The piece gained a reputation for being too difficult and demanding, so Vaughan Williams reworked the piece for two pianos with the assistance of Joseph Cooper
Joseph Cooper
Joseph Elliott Needham Cooper, OBE , pianist and broadcaster, best known as the chairman of the BBC's long-running television panel game Face the Music.- Early career :...
. This revised edition premiered in 1946.
The piece is difficult, and the piano parts are often percussive and dissonant. It is in three movements:
- Toccata: Allegro moderato
- Romanza: Lento
- Fuga chromatica (Allegro), con finale alla tedesca
The piece lasts about 25 minutes.
For the slow movement, Vaughan Williams quoted
Musical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
the theme from the Epilogue of the third movement of Arnold Bax
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
's Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 3 (Bax)
The Symphony No. 3 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1929. It was dedicated to Sir Henry Wood and is perhaps the most performed and most immediately approachable of Arnold Bax's symphonies....
.