Kirk O’Riordan

Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra

Kirk O’Riordan

Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra

©Copyright 2007 by Kirk O’Riordan. All rights reserved. Cover art: Wassily Kandinsky: Yellow, Red, Blue (1925). Oil and Canvas, 127x200cm;

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra composed July 2006-February 2007 Kirk O’Riordan b. 1968 Commissioned by and dedicated to the Eaken Piano Trio John Eaken, violin Andrew Rammon, cello Gloria Whitney, piano I. with great intensity II. relentless III. cadenza, espressivo IV. driving Instrumentation: 2 Flutes 2 Oboes English Horn 2 Clarinets in A Bass Clarinet in B-flat 4 Horns in F 2 Trumpets in C Trombone Tuba Timpani 3 Percussionists (duplicated instruments may be shared) Perc. 1: large tam tam, vibraphone, crotales, large bass drum, snare drum, triangle, suspended cymbals (Chinese, small, medium, large, splash, sizzle)

Mallets: soft, medium, hard yarn; medium and hard plastic; metal; contrabass bow Perc. 2: tom toms (3, small, medium, large), large tam tam, glockenspiel, xylophone, crotales, vibraphone, marimba, suspended cymbals (small and medium, Chinese) Mallets: hard and soft yarn; hard plastic; medium hard rubber; metal Perc. 3: large bass drum, snare drum, suspended cymbals (Chinese, small, medium large, splash) Mallets: medium soft yarn Solo Violin Solo Cello Solo Piano Strings (ca. 12.10.8.6.5 preferred)

Performance Notes: Diminuendos into rests should be performed al niente. The third movement, cadenza, espressivo, may be performed separately. Program Notes: The Concerto for Piano Trio and Orchestra was begun in July 2006 and completed in February, 2007. The work, the composer’s most ambitious to date, is approximately 28 minutes in duration. It was commissioned by the Eaken Piano Trio: John Eaken, violin; Andrew Rammon, cello; and Gloria Whitney, piano. In many ways, the Concerto is as much symphony as it is concerto: its four movements closely resemble the four-movement structure associated with the late Romantic Symphony. The first movement introduces the primary motivic material developed in movements one, three, and four; the second, a frenzied scherzo-like dance, provides energy and contrasting melodic ideas; the third movement is a cadenza (without orchestra) for the Trio; and the fourth is an energetic finale. Although the first movement is not in the traditional sonata form usually found in Romantic Symphonies, the second and fourth movements are in a modified ritornello form. The genre of the Triple Concerto is of course dominated by Beethoven’s op. 56. This work was conceived as a compliment to Beethoven’s, to exist along side the masterpiece, learning from it. The orchestras involved in each are of similar size, and the duration of each is similar. I decided early in the compositional process, though, to treat the trio as one entity (similar to Bartok’s approach with the entire orchestra in his Concerto for Orchestra), rather than the more Beethovian three soloists. While there is some solo passagework for each member of the trio, I was most interested in featuring the “ensemble” of the soloists. I wanted to equate that which makes chamber music unique with traditional technical virtuosity. This idea, as well as the Trio’s request for a section of this piece that would be “portable,” led to the idea of a cadenza movement.