Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto turned 60 last year. The age matters, because it’s often described as the last piano concerto to have entered the general orchestral repertoire. If the choice of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto represents a negative aspect of orchestral life as a kind of museum culture – to take but one example, Ligeti’s major Piano Concerto from the 1980s is still awaiting a performance in Dublin – then the performance of a piece by a neglected Italian composer is definitely a positive one. His teaching also sharpened my awareness of a range of rhythmic issues that stand out so much more clearly for horn players than they do for pianists – the piano had long been my main instrument. It seemed entirely appropriate that one of Ireland’s best-loved musicians should have been the spur to bring together what must surely have been the biggest ever gathering of Irish horn players.

Source: The Irish Times January 31, 2018 05:15 UTC