Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rautavaara)

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

Piano Concerto No. 1
by Einojuhani Rautavaara
Photo of Einojuhani Rautavaara in the 1950s
CatalogueOp. 45
Composed1969
Movements3
ScoringPiano concerto

The piece contains many innovative uses of polytonality, cluster chords and extended uses of form.[1] It was during this time that Rautavaara had become disenchanted with the serialist and twelve-tone techniques of his previous works, and abandoned them in favor of a more idiosyncratic, romantic, and avant-garde style.[2]

Movements

The concerto is in three movements.

I. Con grandenzza

The first movement, Con grandenzza, begins with a piano solo. For the first thirteen bars, there are octave clusters in the right hand, outlining a melody in E phrygian, and harmonizing with a D major/minor arpeggio in the left hand. The orchestra joins abruptly after, imitating the piano intro. The piano and orchestra bounce themes off of each other, before a large climax, where the pianist is instructed to slam their arm on the keyboard to simulate a 3-octave wide cluster chord.

II. Andante

The second movement starts with a C drone in the strings, and ends with more tone clusters that lead into the beginning of the next movement.

III. Molto vivace

The third movement provides a strong climax with themes from the first movement, and a short french horn solo.

Instrumentation
Woodwinds
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
Brass
2 French Horns
2 Trumpets
3 Trombones (third doubling bass trombone)
Tuba
Percussion
Timpani
Unpitched percussion (snare drum, tam-tam, cymbal)
Piano
Strings
16 Violins
8 Violas
8 Cellos
4 Basses

See also

References
  1. Judd, Timothy (2019). "Einojuhani Rautavaara’s First Piano Concerto: Twentieth Century Finnish Neo-Romanticism". The Listener's Club. Retrieved 10 June, 2020.
  2. Rickards, Guy (2016). "Einojuhani Rautavaara obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June, 2020.
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