Page 10 - Barcelona Tour 2014

Trumpet Concerto (1950) Alexander Arutiunian (1920-2012)
Andante – Allegro energico – Meno mosso – Allegro energico
The Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian was a native of Yerevan, and studied as a pianist and composer at the
conservatoire there and in Moscow. In 1954 he became artistic director of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra; in 1970 he
was made People's Artist of the USSR. Arutiunian's compositions are noted for their lyrical character drawn from folk music,
and show kinship with another Armenian composer, Khachaturian. This concerto is through-composed in one movement.
The writing for the soloist is free and improvisatory; the orchestral writing shows the influence of a grand Russian style and
of jazz, with some allusions to Shostakovich.
Nimrod from Enigma Variations (1899) Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
This brief but poignant variation is a musical portrait of and tribute to Elgar’s friend and supporter A J Jaeger. The sub-title is
a play on words, jaeger in German meaning hunter, and Nimrod being the ‘mighty hunter’ of the Old Testament of the
Christian Bible.
Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin (1898-1937)
The initial idea for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue came about when American band leader, Paul Whiteman, wanted to
demonstrate the fusion of jazz and symphonic genres, so as to promote jazz as a socially accepted form of music. It was
intended that Gershwin was to compose a large-scale work in the jazz idiom, but he did not feel up to doing this task. It
was only in January 1924 that he accepted the challenge and it was advertised that Gershwin was to compose a jazz
concerto for a concert on February 24th.
Gershwin’s original version was for two pianos, but Whiteman’s arranger, Fedre Grofé, undertook the orchestral transcription
by which it is known today. The arrangement for symphony orchestra was completed in 1942, and it is this version that is
now usually played. With Gershwin at the piano, the work was performed on February 24th 1924, in Aeolian Hall, New York.
The composer was hailed as ‘the man who brought jazz into the concert hall’ and Rhapsody has been a popular work with
audiences ever since.
Piano Concerto no 3 Youth Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
1st movement – Allegro
This concerto was composed in 1952, when Kabalevsky was established in the forefront of Soviet composers. The first
movement incorporates a lively dialogue between soloist and orchestra.
Programme Note s