Piano Concerto (1997)

My Piano Concerto is scored for piano soloist and a nine-part string ensemble or chamber orchestra. It is in three movements and lasts about fifteen minutes.

The first movement, basically an allegro, establishes the balance between piano and strings; as much a balance of timbres as of dynamics. The second movement, a luxurious completion of a fragmentary English folksong called ‘The Sweet Primeroses’, opens with a muted chorale on lower strings offset by resonant piano chords. The final movement exhibits rude energy which has reminded some listeners of Scottish traditional music (perhaps an enthusiastic strathspey-and-reel orchestra sliding about on the strings).

Anthony and Mary Henfrey commissioned this piece to commemorate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. It was written for my friend and longtime collaborator, the pianist William Howard, to play at the 1997 Spitalfields Festival.

Judith Weir