Martin, Poulenc & Others: Works for Pianos & Orchestra

Featuring

Dmitry Yablonsky
Tomer Lev
Berenika Glixman
Daniel Borovitzky
Almog Segal
Nimrod Meiry-Haftel

MultiPiano Ensemble
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Frank Martin
Francis Poulenc
Dmitri Shostakovich
Arie Levanon

Did you know?

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Historical Context

Neo-Baroque trends after the First World War led to a revival of the group concerto tradition, reinterpreting and giving new life to neglected forms.

Compositional Technique

Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos features a 'polystylism' that blends diverse elements like street melodies, Parisian chansons, Stravinsky-style rhythms, and Asian gamelan bells.

Composer Biography

Shostakovich's Concertino for Two Pianos was written for him and his son, Maxim Shostakovich, who later became a well-known conductor.

Interpretation

Frank Martin himself re-wrote his Petite symphonie concertante as a purely orchestral composition in 1950, without soloists, to allow for wider performance due to its experimental nature.

Compositional Technique

Frank Martin's Petite symphonie concertante was originally scored for the unusual combination of piano, harp, and modern harpsichord solos with a double string orchestra.

Composition History

The practice of composing concertante works for multiple solo keyboard instruments and orchestra was common in the 18th and early 19th centuries, as seen in works by Bach and Mozart.