Concerto for two pianos (Poulenc)
The Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor, FP 61 is a piano concerto by the French composer Francis Poulenc .
Emergence
The concerto for two pianos was commissioned by Poulenc's patron Winnaretta Singer in Venice in 1932 in her Palazzo Contarini Polignac . It is considered to be one of the last works of Poulenc's early compositional phase. According to Poulenc Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major , which was premiered shortly before, was the model for the conception of the work . Furthermore, the concert pays homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Poulenc even described the middle movement as a “poetic play with the portrait of Mozart”.
To the music
1st movement: Allegro ma non troppo
The movement begins with a loud tutti strike from the whole orchestra, followed by a virtuoso turn of the pianos. Fast scales and octave scales develop on further throbbing chords of the orchestra. This is followed by the performance of the fast main theme by both solo pianos, with the second piano taking on an accompanying function here. The orchestra takes over and continues the theme. A very simple motif , reminiscent of Dmitri Shostakovich , follows, it looks a bit like the melody of a nursery rhyme. The beginning of the sentence is characterized by great agitation and high speed, which leads to a certain breathless listening impression. A longer quiet phase is heralded by a more lyrical theme in the piano. Both solo instruments deal with this second theme in the sequence. The nursery rhyme motif reappears and accelerates the action. Another character change soon follows, as the pianos piano a mysterious underground (of Balinese Gamelan reminiscent) and play the flute intones a simple, elegiac melody to it. The first movement ends in this mood.
2nd movement: Larghetto
The Larghetto in B flat major begins with a simple melody that parodies Mozart and also takes as a model. It was inspired by the middle movement of Mozart's 20th Piano Concerto in D minor, K. 466 . The pianos process the theme after it has been extensively introduced with an increase in dynamics and tempo. After a short repetition of the first part, the movement fades away piano .
3rd movement: Finale - Allegro molto
The finale begins with a few forte chords in the orchestra, supported by the drums. A fast melody consisting of double strikes is then introduced in the pianos. The main theme that evolves is dance-like and sweeping. The continuation of the theme takes place in an elegant way in the interplay between orchestra and pianos. The main dance theme appears again and again like a rondo theme . A luxuriant and dynamically rising middle section also picks up the melody, which here only appears in a piano. With a quotation from the beginning of the concert, the work ends in the same way as its later organ concert .
effect
The first performance of the concert took place on September 5, 1932 in Venice . Poulenc and his childhood friend Jacques Février took over the solo part. The work became a great success for the composer and is now considered one of his best works. That is why it is still often performed today. Along with the corresponding works by Mozart and Mendelssohn, it is one of the standard concertos for two pianos today .