H. M. Górecki - Harpsichord Concerto Op. 40 - Piotr Orzechowski

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki - Concerto for harpsichord (or piano) & orchestra, Op. 40 Alexander Liebreich - conductor Piotr Orzechowski ’Pianohooligan’ - harpsichord Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Original, improvised cadenza by Piotr Orzechowski. 0:14 - Allegro Molto 6:20 - Vivace Marcatissimo Jarosław Minkowicz - video director The concert was recorded on the 9th of September in the Concert Hall oh The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI ’PIANOHOOLIGAN’ Born in 1990; pianist, improviser and composer. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music. Winner of many prestigious awards and distinctions, hailed by the critics as ‘the most creative and uncompromising young Polish jazz artist’. Since his spectacular triumph at Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition 2011 in Switzerland, where he was awarded the 1st prize, Orzechowski has been touring all over the world. Each of his CD releases proves a major event. His music is a synthesis of many genres; it falls outside simple classifications and defies attempts to pigeonhole it. CONCERTO FOR HARPSICHORD (OR PIANO) & ORCHESTRA, OP. 40 After pushing one end of the envelope with three slow movements in his Symphony No. 3 (1976), Henryk Górecki swung back the other way in 1980 with his delightful Harpsichord Concerto. This sparkling piece lasts about nine minutes and consists of two fast movements, both centering around D. The harpsichord is accompanied by a small string orchestra; if the solo part is played on piano, the strings are expanded to compensate. The first movement consists of a long, slow melody in the strings in octaves, ornamented by continuous figuration in the solo part. Each new phrase is signaled by a rising flourish on the keyboard, and the melody and the obbligato patterns feature much repetition. The music stays in the Aeolian mode (minor) until a contrasting middle section breaks in. At that point, the keyboard figuration shifts to a more chromatic pattern, creating oppositional tension with the strings, which shift to harmonized thirds, though remaining rooted in the minor mode. The return to the original material carries the movement through to the end; the phrases eventually become quite fractured, finally landing up on a sustained major triad to finish. This concerto is strongly related to Górecki’s Three Pieces in Olden Style (1963), which was shocking at the time for its unabashed simple, diatonic style. The second movement is dance-like, with a jaunty melody being passed back and forth between the soloist and the strings. The D major sonority is contrasted with blocks of material set of contrasting, more complex, sonority. The two forces eventually come together, the harpsichord playing off against ostinatos and other kinds of material in the strings. The duple, dance rhythm carries right through, but there are various kinds of sonorities making brief appearances, including sliding sounds in the strings, and chromatically descending sequences in the solo part. A final resolution on the tonic triad closes the piece, with one fleeting reference to the first movement to set up the final cadence. Description by James Harley #gorecki #harpsichordconcerto #pianohooligan