Description
My intention was to write an intense and compact one-piece piano concerto by about 5 minutes. It has become a lyrical, expressive and dynamic work, with a dense polyphonic layering, that comes straight from the heart.
This instrumental fabric of main and secondary melodies wants to give voice to the famous statement by the French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944):
"One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes." ("On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.")
Hence the subtitle: Gemma di Cuore - Heart Gem.
The piece wants to 'name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable', as it were.
In doing so, it also refers to the chapter 'The Jewel of the heart' in The Book of Dialogues by Bô Yin Râ, p.22.
ISBN: 978-9491735-30-1
I hope it reaches the heart of the listener!
The orchestral line-up is as follows: Oboe (Cor Anglais) Clarinet in Bb, Trumpet Bb, Trombone, Timpani, Percussion (Piatto sospeso,Tamburo militare, Gran cassa, Crotales) Piano, Violin, Violoncello, Double Bass.
As an alternative, this instrumental line-up is also suitable for a performance by a Large Ensemble of 10 (or 11) players.
The piano part sets high standards.
I am therefore delighted that the piece has been recorded on 13 January 2025 by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with the Russian-American pianist Anna Kislitsyna. The release is August 8.