| Program Notes
Since the composition of Landscape
for piano and string orchestra (1990), none of my orchestral work has involved
a soloist. So the opportunity to write a piano concerto was an exciting one, especially
since it was to be for the exceptional pianist Jorge Suarez.
One of
the great challenges in a concerto is to solve the difficulty caused by having
two resources (ensemble and soloist) with which to present and develop thematic
material. This requires a carefully thought-out balance between these two elements,
from which must unfold the dramatic effect of the work. And it is above all the
drama of the interaction between the soloist and orchestra which I have sought
to convey; in this sense the work comes out of and places itself in the continuum
of the Western art music tradition.
I designed the concerto in five
movements, though it is essentially a modified three movement work, with movements
two and four being cadenzas (the first for the orchestra, the second for the soloist).
It is my intention with this dual-cadenza structure to make a statement about
the equality of the partnership between the orchestra and the piano, as well as
to provide a sense of balance around the central slow movement. The whole work
then emerges as a type of arch form. This partnership is further enhanced by the
detailed ensemble interaction which is called for between the orchestra and soloist.
My Concerto for Piano and Orchestra was composed between March of 1998 and May
of 1999, in both Canada and France. It was commissioned by Eduardo Diamuñoz
and the Orquestra Sinfónica Carlos Chavez, and was written for pianist
Jorge Suarez. Financial assistance for the commission was provided by the Canada
Council for the Arts.
The premier performance tooke place on June 25
and 27, 1999, at theTeatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Mexico. Gordon Campbell conducted
the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist Jorge Suarez..
| 
