Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (Stravinsky)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments was written by Igor Stravinsky in Paris in 1923-1924. This work was revised in 1950.

It precedes the Symphony for Wind Instruments by four years, which he composed upon his arrival in Paris after his stay in Switzerland. These two compositions are of the period known as neoclassicism, thus departing from the composer's previous Russian style of the famous Rite.

This concerto numbers among many works for piano written about the same time to be played by the composer himself. This is also true of Capriccio for Piano (1929), his Sonata of 1924 and his Serenade in A Major (1925).

1 Form
2 Orchestration
3 Premiere
4 Trivia
5 References
6 Notes

[edit] Form

The work is composed of three movements and lasts approximately twenty minutes.

Largo - Allegro - Più mosso - Maestoso
Largo - Più mosso - Tempo Primo
Allegro - Agitato - Lento - Stringendo

[edit] Orchestration

The orchestra is scored for two flutes, a piccolo, two oboes, a cor anglais, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones and a tuba accompanied by cymbals and three violoncellos. Although combining winds and piano was unusual at the time, the form had been explored earlier in the twentieth century and would be explored later. Stravinsky commented on the scoring as follows:

“

"The short, crisp dance character of the Toccata [the first movement], engendered by the percussion of the piano, led to the idea that a wind ensemble would suit the piano better than any other combination. In contrast to the percussiveness of the piano, the winds prolong the piano's sound as well as providing the human element of respiration."

”

[edit] Premiere

The concerto debuted under Serge Koussevitzky at the Opera of Paris on May 22, 1924 under the direction of the composer, who played the piano. Koussevitzky had requested of Stravinsky such a work.^[1]

[edit] Trivia

There are many influences on this work, including the Chamber Concerto of Alban Berg and the first movement of the second piano concerto of Béla Bartók.