Piano Concerto (2025) 31′

for Solo piano and Orchestra

pf + 2(2pic).2.2(I:Ebcl.II:bcl).2/2.2.2.0/timp.2perc/str

Commissioned by Leif Ove Andsnes.
First performance on 26 February 2026 by Leif Ove Andsnes and Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Thomas Søndergård.

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The work was commissioned by Leif Ove Andsnes and written with his nuanced and delicate playing in mind. It is a concerto in five movements, rich in contrasts and spanning a wide expressive range. Together, the movements form a continuous musical arc, with the soloist leading and shaping the unfolding narrative.

The first movement unfolds in a free, rhapsodic and slightly ironic manner, followed by a short and concentrated Intermezzo for solo piano. In the third movement, light and dancing textures alternate with a chorale theme that gradually emerges more clearly. The fourth movement is a broad and sustained slow movement, balancing between the almost frozen and motionless and more fluid material.

The final movement is more extroverted and brings back material from the earlier movements in new forms. Toward the end, the music collapses, leaving behind only faint traces of the Intermezzo.