Question by Wondering???: How popular is Khachaturian’s piano concerto?
Is it played a lot? Or is it not as popular and would it be impressive to perform?
Answers and Views:
Answer by petr b
It is not so popular, and it is not played so much because it, well IMHO, it isn’t a great or really interesting piece of music.
If you are looking for good concerti not performed nearly enough, look no further than both the Shostakovitch piano concerti.
best regards.
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
Nemesis says
Someone's got to take this poor, hapless work into protective custody <g> so I guess this time it'll have to be me… 🙂
There are a number of factors getting in the way of this work gaining the exposure it deserves, and the demands it sets on all players is certainly one of them. The orchestral writing is sophisticated and taxing for everyone. The solo part — having done it probably half a dozen times in 30-odd years — is physically very tiring indeed, with tricky exchanges between soloist and band everywhere, and two major cadenzas of great intensity, one each for the two outer movements. Beyond that, soloist and principal trumpet could amiably argue the toss forever as to who has to walk the highest tightrope in launching the principal subject to the third movement… 🙂
A completely practical difficulty in mounting this work is the requirement for a flexitone in the second, slow movement. Modern synthesisers can masquerade as one very easily, but the sound quality is never quite what the real thing delivers. It's a bit like 'faking' an ondes martenot: plausible perhaps, but not 'right'…
With the great subsequent success — with master violinists certainly — of the (younger) Violin Concerto, perhaps the Piano Concerto was always going to have an uphill battle. Much darker, more strident and percussive in many places, it's a bigger 'ask' from an audience, even if the blazing peroration of the principal subject of the entire work does send the audience home with something they can definitely whistle lustily.
I could not disagree more strongly with it being a poor work. With his concertos, Khachaturian tends to take a fresh view of the form and substance for each instrument he is writing for. Given the Russian tradition of the piano concerto that preceded him, it's not surprising that he took the precedent of the 'heroic' concerto handed down to him, and set about marrying to that the more strident, percussive 'modernisms' of its day (1936) *and* the sounds of his native Armenian musical heritage.
Taxing as the outcome of that synthesis undoubtedly turns out be, it certainly works for me… 🙂
All the best,
Ps For anyone not familiar with it at all:
I (1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdIlwDIY9HA&fe…
(2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOukCS4aEdU&fe…
II (3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy4o3ayxnug&fe…
(4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbZXI4V4HOk&fe…
III (5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWz229FExuc&fe…
(6) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLVmAAkU5pM&fe…
MissLimLam says
Its not performed often, is not popular and would not be impressive to perform.
Try Bachs keyboard concerti. They are fairly neglected, and are wonderful:
Jack Herring says
I confess, I am not really familiar with very much of Khachaturian's works. He is one of those composer's whose music has never (with a few exceptions) became popular with the classical music audience.
I will make it a point to listen to this concerto. I cannot recall ever hearing it. Sadly there are many composers of piano concertos that get performed only rarely. Dvorak for one.