Marc Blitzstein wrote his Piano Concerto for piano and orchestra in 1931 when he was 25 years old.[1] The concerto was not performed in public during the composer's lifetime; the Brooklyn Philharmonic premiered the piece on January 1, 1986, 22 years after Blitzstein's death.[2] Prior to the premiere, it had only been heard publicly twice, once in a two-piano version.[3] Blitzstein had hoped to be the piano soloist at the concerto's premiere.[4]

The concerto, 24 to 30 minutes in length,[2][5] is dedicated to musical patron Alene Erlanger.[6]

Form

The concerto has three movements:

  1. Moderato molto-allegro
  2. Largo assai
  3. Allegro non troppo


Orchestration

The concerto features twelve instrument types and 19 instrumentalists:

  • Piano
  • 2 flutes
  • 2 oboes
  • 2 clarinets
  • 2 bassoons
  • Contrabassoon
  • 4 French horns
  • 2 trombones
  • Bass trombone
  • Tuba
  • String

Recording

A full recording of the work was made in 1988 by Michael Barrett with the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Lukas Foss (CRI CD 554).[7] The first movement of the Piano Concerto was reissued on a CD titled Gay American Composers, vol. 2 (CRI CD 750). An excerpt from the third movement was issued on a sampler titled “Lollapalooza USA,” issued by Boosey & Hawkes (2005).

References

  1. ↑ "Picker & Blitzstein: Works for Piano and Orchestra". New World Records. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  2. 1 2 "Piano Concerto". Marc Blitzstein. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  3. ↑ "Classical Music: Piano Concertos - Marc Blitzstein, Lee Hoiby, Robert Ward". kritzerland.com. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  4. ↑ Niederkorn, William S. (2012-12-14). "Rocking the Cradle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  5. ↑ "Marc Blitzstein - Piano Concerto". www.boosey.com. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  6. ↑ Pollock, Howard (October 2012). "Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World". Oxford University Press. p. 502.
  7. ↑ "Piano Concerto". Marc Blitzstein. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
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