A New Piano Concerto For The People
Thomas Adès' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra riffs on the old classics while speaking in the distinctive voice of a 21st century master composer.
Sometimes old recipes, newly tweaked, can yield astonishing results. Consider the concerto: It might be a 400-year-old formula, calling for a soloist to perform with — and often battle against — an orchestra. But occasionally, a brand new concerto arrives that offers old-fashioned thrills. The Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by the redoubtable British composer relies on some of the old ingredients, but punches through with enough sparkling opulence and irrepressible delight to silence any classical music pessimists. It may be the most attractive concerto so far this century.
