Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rautavaara)

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Piano Concerto No. 1
by Einojuhani Rautavaara
Photo of Einojuhani Rautavaara in the 1950s
Catalogue	Op. 45
Composed	1969
Movements	3
Scoring	Piano concerto

Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 45, in 1969.

The piece contains many innovative uses of polytonality, cluster chords and extended uses of form.^[1] It was during this time that Rautavaara had become disenchanted with the serialist and twelve-tone techniques of his previous works, and abandoned them in favor of a more idiosyncratic, romantic, and avant-garde style.^[2]

Movements[]

The concerto is in three movements.

I. Con grandezza[]

The first movement, Con grandezza, begins with a piano solo. For the first thirteen bars, there are octave clusters in the right hand, outlining a melody in E phrygian, and harmonizing with a D major/minor arpeggio in the left hand. The orchestra joins abruptly after, imitating the piano intro. The piano and orchestra bounce themes off of each other, before a large climax, where the pianist is instructed to slam their arm on the keyboard to simulate a 3-octave wide cluster chord.

II. Andante[]

The second movement starts with a C drone in the strings, and ends with more tone clusters that lead into the beginning of the next movement.

III. Molto vivace[]

The third movement provides a strong climax with themes from the first movement, and a short French horn solo.

Instrumentation[]

Woodwinds

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

2 Clarinets

2 Bassoons

Brass

2 French Horns

2 Trumpets

3 Trombones (third doubling bass trombone)

Tuba

Percussion

Timpani

Unpitched percussion (snare drum, tam-tam, cymbal)

Piano

Strings

16 Violins

8 Violas

8 Cellos

4 Basses

See also[]

• Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rautavaara)
• Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rautavaara)

References[]