Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958) - Piano Concerto in C major (1926 - 1931)
I. Toccata. Allegro moderato - Largamente - Cadenza [0:00]
II. Romanza. Lento [6:39]
III. Fuga chromatica con Finale alla Tedesca [15:54]
Ashley Wass, piano
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, James Judd (2009)
Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote his Piano Concerto in C major for pianist Harriet Cohen, who premiered the work in 1933. The first two movements were written in 1926, and the third in 1930 - 31. At the suggestion of many of his colleagues, Vaughan Williams arranged the piece for two pianos and orchestra in 1946, with help from Joseph Cooper. The work is in three movements and typically lasts around 26 minutes.
"The concerto is cast in three movements: Toccata (Allegro moderato); Romanza (Lento); and Fuga Chromatica con Finale alla Tedesca. The first movement is hard-driving and somewhat grim and accounts for the concerto's tough and violent reputation. The piano begins the work with a series of brilliant chords, and soon the orchestra introduces a jovial, folk-like theme. A shorter theme on piano soon appears and there follows some imaginative development of the materials. The movement ends with a brief Ravellian cadenza which connects to the Romanza middle panel. Oddly, the Toccata's music sounds more than remotely like Bartók's, especially as heard in his first two piano concertos, the earliest of which did not appear until a year after Vaughan Williams had written this. The opening movement may strike some as diffuse in structure and emotionally cold, but its rewards are considerable for the patient listener.
That said, it may be that the Romanza is the most attractive and finely-conceived movement in the work. It is unusual for Vaughan Williams in that it has an almost bluesy atmosphere. The main theme, first played by the piano and then taken up by the flute, is lovely, again suggesting the influence of Ravel, with whom Vaughan Williams studied in 1908. A warm theme in the middle section is more typical of the composer's post-Romantic style, but it is actually a variation on a theme from Bax's Third Symphony. The finale begins without pause after the lovely, quiet ending of the Romanza. The first part is devoted to a rhythmic fugue of great color. A brilliant cadenza bridges this section with the finale proper, which uses the same material from the fugue, but underpins it harmonically rather than fugally."
(source: AllMusic)
Original audio: • Ralph Vaughan Williams...