Elgar and the Missing Piano Concerto - Tonight BBC 1 10.35pm

[Jacey1973]

Hey this dicumentary looks really interesting - for those in the UK it is on in 35 mins tonight on BBC 1 so hurry! I was wondering the other day actually why Elgar never wrote a piano concerto, cosidering the popularity of his violin and cello concertos.

At around 11.35pm after the documentary they are performing Elgar's piano concerto (completed by Robert Walker and David Owen Norris).

"Elgar and the Missing Concerto

Alan Yentob explores the mystery of Elgar's unfinished piano concerto and follows the troubled, but eventually triumphant, ten-year mission of composer Robert Walker and pianist David Owen Norris to bring Elgar's original manuscripts to life. "
     
So post any comments here after you watch it - if you want!

[mikey6]

that's surprising that he sketched one - he hated the piano!

[Jacey1973]

that's surprising that he sketched one - he hated the piano!

Did anyone watch it? It was fascinating to see how they pieced together a full concerto from Elgar's sketches - it took Robert Walker and David Owen Norris 10 years! I can't believe all the problems they had with the scores/performances too.

I also thought that Elgar wasn't too fond of the piano - in fact i didnt even realise he played the piano - i thought he was a violinist. But it was amazing to hear his own piano recordings - he sounded like a great pianist, the film clips of him conducting and talking were strange to watch as i've grown up with Elgar i feel very close to his music. The presenter suggested that perhaps Elgar's view of the piano had been "tainted" as his "Concert Allegro" for piano written in 1901 had been unsuccessful.

And did you see the end result - the recording of the completed concerto? I loved it, i really hope more pianists will learn it in the future, it will be a real shame if pianists' dismiss it because it isn't "authentic", it is very Elgarian sounding as the original themes come from Elgar's own hand.

The opening theme is so dark, romantic, brooding with low chords - accompanied by violas and cellos - i want to hear it again! It had moments which reminded me of the opening of the cello concerto. And the way it was scored for piano was also reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's (and Rachmaninov's) piano concertos in places - i guess he was a composer around the same time as Rachmaninov. I wonder if they heard each other's compositions?

Has anyone played an piano pieces by Elgar? What did you think? I must say, he doesn't seem an obvious piano composer to most most pianists i guess. i've never learnt any.

I also heard extracts of Elgar's Piano Quintet (A minor?) in the documentary, that sounds a fantastic piece - the presenter said that Elgar listened to a recording of his Piano Quintet on his death bed as he adored it.

[ahinton]

Interesting as it is, it hasn't anything like the substance of the Third Symphony which was, of course, put together by Anthony Payne several years ago - the symphony is an outstanding success. As a matter of fact, Mr Payne has recently done the same kind of thing by reconstructing Pomp and Circumstance March no. 6 from sketches; it hasn't reached performance stage yet, but no doubt will soon do so.

Best,

Alistair