Program notes

Piano Concerto, opus 114 (2021)

I. Cantilena Ocean Sky: Expansive, tender and slow

II. Canticle of the Birds: In constant flight – fast

A large-scale two movement work, Piano Concerto was commissioned by Australian-British pianist Rosemary Tuck and was composed in Sydney in 2021. The two movement shape is similar to my earlier Violin Concerto (opus 55, 1996) – with a slow first movement (Cantilena Ocean Sky: ‘Expansive, tender and slow’) and a fast and dramatic moto perpetuo second movement (Canticle of the Birds: ‘In constant flight – fast’).

The work is dedicated ‘In memoriam to Richard Meale’ and draws on some of the sketches and ideas from his uncompleted piano concerto which he titled Simurgh. Piano Concerto was commissioned by Rosemary Tuck with assistance from the Australian Music Foundation.

© Andrew Schultz, 2021.