Piano Concerto No. 3 (Williamson)

The Piano Concerto No. 3 is a 32-minute concerto by Australian-born composer Malcolm Williamson. Williamson was Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death in 2003. ["Malcolm Williamson: A 70th Birthday Tribute" (Paul Conway)]

History of the Work

Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Williamson's third piano concerto was written in 1962 while the composer was living in East Sheen, London. The work is dedicated to the British pianist John Ogdon, who gave the world premiere of the work with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Joseph Post. Recently, the work appeared in a concert given by the BBC Concert Orchestra under conductor Christopher Austin, with Piers Lane as soloist, on 20th November 2001 to celebrate the composer's 70th Birthday. ["Malcolm Williamson: A Mischievous Muse" (Paul Harris & Anthony Meredith)]

Structure

The concerto is broken up into four separate movements, which are as follows:

*"I." "Allegro (Toccata)"
*"II." "Allegretto (Scherzo)"
*"III." "Molto largo e cantando"
*"IV." "Ben Allegro" [Lyrita Recorded Edition]

Orchestration

Piano soloist; 2 flutes, 2 oboes (2^nd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets (2^nd doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (including snare drum, triangle & clash cymbals), and strings. [Josef Weinberger Ltd.]

Recordings

The original version (from the LP recorded in 1974) is now available in a newly remastered edition on the Lyrita label with the composer as soloist, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Dommett. This is the only recording of the concerto currently commercially available. [Lyrita Recorded Edition]

References