Repertoire
L.V. Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus (Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus), Op. 43 – Overture (1801)
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in D minor (1941) 6′
Witold Lutoslawski: Variations on a theme by Paganini for two pianos (1941) 6′
Alberto Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes, op.23 (1953) 24′
Artists
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)
Josep Colom and Alberto Rosado, pianos
Juanjo Mena, conductor
Program
The overture Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus is one of Beethoven’s earliest incidental music. Conceived to lead the homonymous ballet of Salvatore Viganò, it has become part of the orchestral repertoire as part of the set of famous overtures by the author. It should be said that the music of this ballet, despite its success, was criticized in its time as “fragmented and extremely complex”, anticipating the qualifiers that accompanied Beethoven throughout his career.
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Poulenc reached the maturity phase of his career with the composition of the monumental Concerto for two pianos and orchestra, a work commissioned by Princess Edmond de Polignat, one of the main patrons at the beginning of the last century. The concert combines the inescapable influence of Mozart’s sound universe with the impression that the discovery of the Balinese gamelan at the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris made on the composer, which is present as a perpetual motion throughout the work. The Variations on a Theme by Paganini, by the Polish Lutosławski, one of the most famous pages in the repertoire for two pianos and orchestra, convey the composer’s fascination with Caprici no. 24 by Niccolò Paganini and the possibilities of virtuous variation.
In Variaciones concertantes, the Argentine Ginastera elaborates, in twelve consecutive parts, a sound fresco on the Argentine folkloric imaginary, abstracting from its most characteristic features. The idea of permanent metamorphosis is the engine of compositional elaboration of the work, in a process of constant generation from the transformation of pre-existing materials.
