What do you do for thrills, if you were Nobuyuki Tsujii?
Why, play something impossibly challenging on the piano. Like whipping up the fiendish 'La Campanella' for an encore to drive his adoring audience to a frenzy. Or learning in a month to play the diabolic Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 for the first time ever in London in 2012. Ditto for Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 in Liverpool, 2014, not to mention playing Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit at a recital that very same year (2014).
It is summer 2019, and it is time for another Nobu thriller. Next month (July) will see him play Shostakovich's Piano & Trumpet Concerto No. 1, with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), conductor Patrick Hahn and Trumpet Lucienne Renaudin Vary.
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As piano concertos go, this one is not considered among the most technically impossible. But nothing ever composed by Dmitri Shostakovich is for the musically faint of heart. This is how the Russian composer is described on wikipedia:
The Shostakovich piano concerto No. 1 was "an experimentation with a neo-baroque combination of instruments." In particular, the work calls for the rare combination of a piano soloist and a trumpet soloist. The opus was completed in 1933 and, at its première, the composer himself performed as piano soloist with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.
Quoting Wikipedia again:
In an article entitled"10 seriously underrated pieces for piano and orchestra" posted by CBC (Canada Broadcast Corp), this is said:
Fun?? Here is what wikipedia says of challenges posed by the work:
Conductor Kenneth Woods had this to say about the work in a 2007 piece:
So, friends, this is no Grieg Concerto or Rachmaninov No. 2.
I hope the audience in Japan will be psychologically prepared. The Japan tour starts on July 17 and travels to 9 venues. In addition to the musical challenges of the concerto, Nobu will be performing with two European musical prodigies for the first time: Austrian conductor-composer-pianist Patrick Hahn (age 24) and trumpist Lucienne Renaudin Vary (age 20). The orchestra, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), is a frequent partner of Nobu.
As of this writing (June 17), most of the 9 shows have not completely sold out. The Japanese audience generally prefer Nobu's recitals, where they can see more of Nobu at lower ticket prices. Additionally, quirky concertos, I believe, are not their preferred cup of tea -- as compared to sweeping romantic works such as Chopin's concertos or Rach 2. (Notably, Nobu has yet to perform Prokofiev 3 in Japan.)
But, if I had wings, I would be there in the concert halls in a heart beat -- on the edge of my seat -- to hear Nobu play his first Shostakovich work, ever, and to witness those impossible runs on the keyboard!
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Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Shotakovich Piano & Trumpet Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich's Piano [and Trumpet] Concerto No. 1 - wikipedia
Why, play something impossibly challenging on the piano. Like whipping up the fiendish 'La Campanella' for an encore to drive his adoring audience to a frenzy. Or learning in a month to play the diabolic Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 for the first time ever in London in 2012. Ditto for Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 in Liverpool, 2014, not to mention playing Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit at a recital that very same year (2014).
It is summer 2019, and it is time for another Nobu thriller. Next month (July) will see him play Shostakovich's Piano & Trumpet Concerto No. 1, with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), conductor Patrick Hahn and Trumpet Lucienne Renaudin Vary.
As piano concertos go, this one is not considered among the most technically impossible. But nothing ever composed by Dmitri Shostakovich is for the musically faint of heart. This is how the Russian composer is described on wikipedia:
A polystylist, Shostakovich developed a hybrid voice, combining a variety of different musical techniques into his works. His music is characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque, and ambivalent tonality; the composer was also heavily influenced by the neo-classical style pioneered by Igor Stravinsky, and (especially in his symphonies) by the late Romanticism of Gustav Mahler.
The Shostakovich piano concerto No. 1 was "an experimentation with a neo-baroque combination of instruments." In particular, the work calls for the rare combination of a piano soloist and a trumpet soloist. The opus was completed in 1933 and, at its première, the composer himself performed as piano soloist with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra.
Quoting Wikipedia again:
The concerto comprises either three or four movements, depending on the interpretation:
The concerto is concluded by a brief but intense cadenza, with the strings reentering to build tension near the finish. The movement comes to a close with short C Major bursts of the strings and piano, accompanied by the humorous trumpet.
1. Allegro moderato
2. Lento
3. Moderato
4. Allegro con brio
The Moderato is sometimes seen as an introductory passage to the Allegro con brio rather than as a separate movement. However, it is usually considered to be the third of four movements, as the moods of the two are very different. While the "Moderato" is of a serious nature, the "Allegro con brio" is in a somewhat lighter tone. Some recordings feature only three movements, with the last marked as Moderato – Allegro con brio.2. Lento
3. Moderato
4. Allegro con brio
The concerto is concluded by a brief but intense cadenza, with the strings reentering to build tension near the finish. The movement comes to a close with short C Major bursts of the strings and piano, accompanied by the humorous trumpet.
Below: YouTube video of Martha Argerich performing the concerto with Trumpet David Guerrier.
In an article entitled"10 seriously underrated pieces for piano and orchestra" posted by CBC (Canada Broadcast Corp), this is said:
... this comical concerto mixes long lyrical melodies and teasingly witty, fast motifs. Audiences at the premiere were astounded by Shostakovich’s brilliant piano playing and the concerto’s unusual ensemble comprising two soloists — pianist and trumpeter — against a string orchestra. As soloists, trumpet and piano have equal roles, complementing each other in dialogue. Adding to the fun, Shostakovich quotes Beethoven, Haydn and even a Viennese folk song.
Fun?? Here is what wikipedia says of challenges posed by the work:
In several places, synchronization with the orchestra can be very difficult, due to the orchestral part often being offbeat to the soloist part.
The second and third movements contain no significant technical difficulties, except perhaps for a more minor one in the form of awkward 16th note runs in both hands in the middle of the second movement.
The greatest technical difficulty in the first movement is the 3 pages of continuous, rapid leaps in the form of 3-note chords stretched out over two octaves in 8th note triplets in the left hand, sometimes even surpassing two octaves, accompanied by quicksilver 8th note rapidly leaping triplet octaves, in the right hand, all at a tempo of presto.
The final cadenza of the fourth movement is very difficult, containing the typical, very awkward fast runs, with big leaps and passages requiring 4th finger independence.
Arguably the most difficult section, albeit a very short one, is a series of quick leaps, first in the left hand in the stride piano style, and then in both hands - with the second-to-last leap spanning three octaves in the left hand and two octaves in the right hand, followed immediately by the final, fast leap, spanning four octaves in the left hand and two octaves in the right hand - at the very end of the piece. The section is brilliantly virtuosic, with the composer himself known to be able to play it exactly as written.
The second and third movements contain no significant technical difficulties, except perhaps for a more minor one in the form of awkward 16th note runs in both hands in the middle of the second movement.
The greatest technical difficulty in the first movement is the 3 pages of continuous, rapid leaps in the form of 3-note chords stretched out over two octaves in 8th note triplets in the left hand, sometimes even surpassing two octaves, accompanied by quicksilver 8th note rapidly leaping triplet octaves, in the right hand, all at a tempo of presto.
The final cadenza of the fourth movement is very difficult, containing the typical, very awkward fast runs, with big leaps and passages requiring 4th finger independence.
Arguably the most difficult section, albeit a very short one, is a series of quick leaps, first in the left hand in the stride piano style, and then in both hands - with the second-to-last leap spanning three octaves in the left hand and two octaves in the right hand, followed immediately by the final, fast leap, spanning four octaves in the left hand and two octaves in the right hand - at the very end of the piece. The section is brilliantly virtuosic, with the composer himself known to be able to play it exactly as written.
Conductor Kenneth Woods had this to say about the work in a 2007 piece:
... Throughout the work, the piano writing is extremely sparse- much closer to Mozart than Rachmaninoff, rarely going beyond two parts at once. It intentionally never even approaches the orchestral fullness of earlier Russian composers. The orchestration is also minimal- only strings and solo trumpet, who helps highlight the comedic content of the work. Shostakovich wrote the trumpet part with the principal trumpet player of the Leningrad Philharmonic, Alexander Schmidt, in mind.
Even in this early work, one can detect the unlikely influence of Mahler in the way Shostakovich constantly juxtaposes humour and grotesquery on the one hand with the deepest tragedy and vulnerability on the other. The second movement, a Lento, is one of his saddest and most heart-wrenching creations, and yet the piece ends with a musical joke that surely would have drawn a smile from the ultimate musical humourist, Haydn.
- Explore the Score: Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 1 by Kenneth Woods - conductor
Even in this early work, one can detect the unlikely influence of Mahler in the way Shostakovich constantly juxtaposes humour and grotesquery on the one hand with the deepest tragedy and vulnerability on the other. The second movement, a Lento, is one of his saddest and most heart-wrenching creations, and yet the piece ends with a musical joke that surely would have drawn a smile from the ultimate musical humourist, Haydn.
- Explore the Score: Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 1 by Kenneth Woods - conductor
So, friends, this is no Grieg Concerto or Rachmaninov No. 2.
I hope the audience in Japan will be psychologically prepared. The Japan tour starts on July 17 and travels to 9 venues. In addition to the musical challenges of the concerto, Nobu will be performing with two European musical prodigies for the first time: Austrian conductor-composer-pianist Patrick Hahn (age 24) and trumpist Lucienne Renaudin Vary (age 20). The orchestra, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (OEK), is a frequent partner of Nobu.
As of this writing (June 17), most of the 9 shows have not completely sold out. The Japanese audience generally prefer Nobu's recitals, where they can see more of Nobu at lower ticket prices. Additionally, quirky concertos, I believe, are not their preferred cup of tea -- as compared to sweeping romantic works such as Chopin's concertos or Rach 2. (Notably, Nobu has yet to perform Prokofiev 3 in Japan.)
But, if I had wings, I would be there in the concert halls in a heart beat -- on the edge of my seat -- to hear Nobu play his first Shostakovich work, ever, and to witness those impossible runs on the keyboard!
***
RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii plays Shotakovich Piano & Trumpet Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich's Piano [and Trumpet] Concerto No. 1 - wikipedia