Michael Houstoun Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
This concerto was Samuel Barber's last major work and earned him his second Pulitzer Prize as well as rave reviews from the critics when it was premièred during the opening celebrations for the Lincoln Center in New York.
There are three movements:
- Allegro appassionato
- Canzone: Moderato
- Allegro Molto
The first two movements were completed before the end of 1960, but the last movement was not completed until 15 days before the world première in 1962. According to John Browning who gave the first performance, the initial version of the piano part of the third movement was unplayable at the marked tempo. Barber apparently resisted reworking the piano part until Vladimir Horowitz reviewed it and also deemed it unplayable at full tempo. Then, the revised version of the work was met with great critical acclaim.
Recorded 30 November 2019, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert
Producer: David McCaw
Engineer: Darryl Stack
