Percussion concerto

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A percussion concerto is a type of musical composition for a percussion soloist and a large ensemble, such as a concert band or orchestra. Two notable figures in the genre are the percussionists Colin Currie and Evelyn Glennie, who have separately commissioned and premiered numerous entrees to the repertoire. [1] [2] Two common subsets of the percussion concerto are the timpani concerto and the marimba concerto.

List of percussion concertos

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Although a concerto is usually a piece of music for one or more solo instruments accompanied by a full orchestra, several composers have written works with the apparently contradictory title Concerto for Orchestra. This title is usually chosen to emphasise soloistic and virtuosic treatment of various individual instruments or sections in the orchestra, with emphasis on instruments changing during the piece. It differs from sinfonia concertante in that it has no soloist or group of soloists that remains the same throughout the composition.

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Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211 (1965), is a concerto in one movement written for xylophone and orchestra by the Armenian-American composer Alan Hovhaness. The work was given its world premiere by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa, at the Ravinia Festival on July 4, 1965.

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Incantations for Percussion and Orchestra is a concerto for percussion and orchestra in three movements by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. The work was composed for the percussionist Colin Currie on a joint commission from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. The first performance was given in Royal Festival Hall, London by Currie and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin on October 24, 2009.

The Percussion Concerto No. 2 is a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. The work was jointly commissioned by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the São Paulo State Symphony. It was first performed on November 7, 2014 at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Netherlands, by percussionist Colin Currie and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic under conductor James Gaffigan. The composition is MacMillan's second percussion concerto after 1992's Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.

Conjurer: Concerto for Percussionist and String Orchestra is a concerto for a solo percussionist and string orchestra by the American composer John Corigliano. The work was jointly commissioned for the percussionist Evelyn Glennie by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Music Department (Lisbon), and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. It was given its world premiere by Glennie and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop in Pittsburgh on February 21, 2008.

Towards the Horizon is the second cello concerto by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. The work was commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Osmo Vänskä. It was first performed by the cellist Arek Tesarczyk and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vänskä in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, on September 30, 2010. The piece is dedicated to the cellist Truls Mørk, who was originally scheduled to perform the world premiere, but had to drop out due to health concerns.

The Mallet Concerto is a concerto for mallet percussion instruments and chamber orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. It was first performed by the percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the Madison Symphony Orchestra under the conductor John DeMain in Madison, Wisconsin, on March 27, 2004.

The Piano Concerto No. 4 for Left Hand and Orchestra is the fourth piano concerto by the American composer Ned Rorem. It was commissioned by the Curtis Institute of Music for the pianist Gary Graffman. The work was first performed by Graffman and the Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra conducted by André Previn at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, on February 4, 1993. Its New York City premiere was performed the next day by the same ensemble at Carnegie Hall. A then-unknown Hilary Hahn performed a solo violin section for both performances.

The Double Concerto is a composition for violin, cello, and orchestra by the American composer Ned Rorem. The work was commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and composed between July 27, 1997, and April 1998. It was composed for the violinist Jaime Laredo and the cellist Sharon Robinson, who first performed the piece with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Raymond Leppard in Indianapolis on October 15, 1998.

Frozen in Time is a three movement concerto for solo percussion and orchestra by Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman. The work was commissioned by the Socrates Stiftung Karin Rehn-Kaufmann with support from the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Israeli Consulate in Berlin. The piece was completed in 2007 and received its world premiere in December 2007 by Martin Grubinger and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg conducted by Simone Young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rautavaara)</span>

Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 45, in 1969.

References

  1. Service, Tom (1 October 2010). "Taking the knocks: the chequered history of the percussion concerto". The Guardian . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  2. "Percussion concerto proves Colin Currie is a world-beater". The Herald . 2 March 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  3. Corigliano, John (2007). "Conjurer: Concerto for Percussionist and String Orchestra (with optional Brass)". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  4. Dorman, Avner. "Frozen in Time". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  5. Grime, Helen (2018). "Percussion Concerto". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  6. Smith, Tim (March 23, 2012). "At the BSO: Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto is a smash". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  7. "Jennifer Higdon on her Duo Duel and Concerto for Orchestra". Gramophone . August 18, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  8. Burton, Anthony (January 20, 2012). "Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 (City of Light); Exile Symphony; Bagatelle No. 1; Bagatelle No. 2; Bagatelle No. 3; Bagatelle No. 4; Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints; Prayer of St Gregory; String Quartet No. 4". BBC Music Magazine . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  9. MacMillan, James (2014). "Percussion Concerto No. 2: Programme Note". Boosey & Hawkes . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  10. Rautavaara, Einojuhani (2008). "Incantations: Composer's Note". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  11. Rorem, Ned (2003). "Mallet Concerto". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  12. Swed, Mark (August 16, 2008). "A percussionist cavorts alongside 'The Planets'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  13. Whitehouse, Richard (October 2010). "Stucky Pinturas de Tamayo: Stucky's attractive yet challenging orchestral works are worth investigating". Gramophone . Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  14. Tower, Joan (2001). "Strike Zones". G. Schirmer Inc. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  15. "Percussion Concerto". Theodore Presser Company. Retrieved June 19, 2018.