the paces (concerto for piano and chamber orchestra)

Premiere: April 25, 2003, pianist Charles Abramovic and Orchestra 2001, conducted by James Freeman; Kimmel Center, PA
Duration: 20’

Instrumentation: Piano solo; orchest ra [ Flute, Oboe (doubles English Horn), Bb Clarinet (doubles Eb Clarinet), Bb Bass Clarinet, Percussion, 2 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Cello, 1 Bass (with C extension) ]

Program Note:
The Paces is a single-movement concerto for piano and chamber ensemble. It is comprised of several sections, all of which in some form or another develop the piano's initial melody, heard at the very beginning of the work. The work, on several levels, puts the soloist, ensemble and audience “through the paces.” The pianist bears the bulk of this challenge, articulated in its clearest form: although it generally eschews conspicuous flash, the part is both virtuosic and relentless (over the course of the work's twenty or so minutes, the pianist never rests for more than a few measures).

The challenge to the listener is more subtle. Although the work's several sections are derived from the piano’s opening bars, there is great variety to them, and transitions are often sudden and unexpected. Within the work, there is often the sense of approaching a corner, which hides something unexpected but which, when revealed, is sensical. My hope is that these events displace one’s expectations, not quite satisfying them, but not quite frustrating them either. As the work moves from place to place, never quite arriving where it seems to be going, the challenge to the listener is, put simply, to keep pace.

– James Matheson