Fabian Müller - composer

Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra (2005)

From the CD booklet notes: In many respects, I have been friendly with the soloists of this recording for years, which has been a particularly beautiful aspect of this collaboration for me. All three are great musical personalities who consciously carve their path away from any celebrity frenzy. Pi-Chin Chien, my wife, and Adrian Oetiker, and I studied together in Zurich in the 80s. Adrian Oetiker was a prodigy back then and formed the piano trio of the conservatory with my wife and a violinist, which all students admired. He was then faced with the choice of becoming a violinist or a pianist, as he excelled equally on both instruments. My admiration for his talent was and still is very great. Therefore, I was especially pleased to write a piano concerto for him. The result is a „classically“ structured concerto in three movements. The piano part in the first movement starts somewhat provocatively for today´s standards with a thunderous chord in C major, which then moves chromatically downwards. The entire first movement is characterized by an urgent pulse, seldom interrupted. Occasionally, there is some tranquility through an elegiac theme with almost Rachmaninoff-like qualities. The second movement presents a completely different world atmospherically. The tension-filled pulse of the first movement is entirely dissolved here through constant rubato. Meditative, sparsely placed sequences and the blossoming of the fullest possible sound alternate. In between, a theme consisting of ascending scales repeatedly shines through. The movement ends with the disappearance of these scales into nowhere. The third and final movement is a kind of scherzo that demands considerable virtuosity from the pianist. On the one hand, I have dedicated the work to Adrian Oetiker, who provided me with valuable suggestions for the piano part during its creation, and on the other hand, to Ruth Faesi, my first cello and piano teacher, who laid the foundation for my musical career.

Info

dedicated to Ruth Faesi and Adrian Oetiker

Movements

I. Allegro
II. Lento
III. Scherzo: Allegro

Instrumentation

Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass
Solo Piano

Duration

about 24 minutes

Excerpts for listening

--> 1st Movement [ mp3 | 935 KB ]

--> 2nd Movement [ mp3 | 3839 KB ]

--> 3rd Movement [ mp3 | 1391 KB ]