The Classical Concerto” for piano and strings was written and dedicated to the concert pianist Hwa jung Lee and conceived as a neoclassical composition inspired by Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, the “Classical Symphony”. Both works were written away from the piano as an attempt to emulate the style of Classical composers , yet still reflecting contemporary “compositional practices.” Both works are close to the same length of time and neither composition contains quotations from Classical composers such as Haydn and Mozart.
As Prokofiev’s work stemmed from his conducting class at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in which his teacher, Nokolai Tcherepnin, taught his students the conducting practice of the Classical period, “The Classical Concerto” for Piano and Strings was written with the purpose of introducing a modern Piano Concerto to today’s stage that reflects the tradition of “beauty” and characteristic “style” of the master composers of the Classical time period. “A contemporary Piano Concerto that does not strive for new vistas, but expresses a deep gratitude for those who came before.”
Scores are available from the composer
Timothy Brown, composer (2016)