When Andreas Haefliger conceived this unusual combination of concertos it was with the aim of putting into perspective three pieces, each a unique and highly expres-sive highlight from the composers' output. That Maurice Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand and BÃ©la BartÃ³k's Third Piano Concerto fulfilled the requirements was a given: towards the end of his life BartÃ³k wrote his most lyrically expressive concerto while Ravel, inspired by the qualities of the left hand register, wrote a piece full of dark yearning and grotesquely fauvistic dances. The third work was more of a gamble, being a newly commissioned and not yet written concerto. The risk was a calculated one, however, given the stellar reputation of the composer Dieter Ammann, as well as Haefliger's personal acquaintance with him. But as Haefliger himself remarks: 'Little could have prepared me for the exceptional work I was to receive: The Piano Concerto - Gran Toccata. Keeping tradition close by as an ally in the layering of harmony and rhythm, it explodes into futuristic visions in an extremely personal language and, through it's kaleidoscopic colours and pianistic virtuosity, reinvents the genre for the 21st century.' The concerto was premiered at the 2019 BBC Proms, and Andreas Haefliger has since performed it in Boston, Munich and Helsinki, where the present recording was made. On all three occasions, he has been partnered by Susanna MÃ¤lkki, chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra which lends Haefliger eminent support in all three works.

Tracklist:

The Piano Concerto "Gran Toccata": Molto Ritmico (Live)
The Piano Concerto "Gran Toccata": Bar 272 (Live)
The Piano Concerto "Gran Toccata": Upbeat To Bar 445 (Live)
Piano Concerto For The Left Hand In D Major, M. 82: Lento
Piano Concerto For The Left Hand In D Major, M. 82: Allegro
Piano Concerto For The Left Hand In D Major, M. 82: Tempo I
Piano Concerto No. 3 In E Major, Sz. 119: I. Allegretto
Piano Concerto No. 3 In E Major, Sz. 119: II. Adagio Religioso
Piano Concerto No. 3 In E Major, Sz. 119: III. Allegro Vivace

UPC: 7318599923109
Label: Bis
Release Date: 10.2.20
Format: CD

Ammann / Haefliger / Malkki - Piano Concertos (CD)