Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (2006)

With this piano concerto I decided to restrict myself and abandon all avant-garde playing techniques – in other words, the music is played only on the keys. At any rate, playing inside the piano is not a novelty anymore. In addition, I wanted to focus particularly on contradicting and connecting the lowest and highest registers.

The first segment of music develops in increasing waves and initially the orchestra acts as a resonator; afterwards it grows more independent and also more intense. Gradually, the piano part also becomes more vigorous, focusing on technically demanding repetitive rhythmic patterns. All the musical events accumulate into the first culmination that dissolves into a light and transparent intermediate section. The harmonic idea behind this is to follow the vectorial logic of contrapuntal motion. Another intensification occurs and leads, through a more gradatory culmination, to a jazz-like part. This, in turn, surreally develops into the final culmination. The residual incandescence gives a glimpse of that “something”, which inspired this whole journey in the first place.

Erkki-Sven Tüür
(translation Pirjo Püvi)