Synopsis

On today’s date in 1996, a trio of soloists joined forces with the Minnesota Orchestra for the premiere performance of a new concerto by the American composer Ellen Taafe Zwilich. This Triple Concerto was commissioned by those soloists — pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson — and no less than five orchestras in addition to Minnesota’s.

Now, the most famous concerto for piano, violin, cello and orchestra is by Beethoven, as Zwilich well knows. “My Triple Concerto is scored for exactly the same instrumentation as Beethoven’s,” she wrote, “although Beethoven would certainly be startled by some of the American jazz techniques and the extraordinary facility the modern timpanist can be expected to have at his fingertips … My piece has other vague and hidden references to Beethoven, as a kind of homage to a composer who has deeply affected my life.”

“As contemporary artists always have, today’s composers exist at a juncture between past and present,” continued Zwilich. “And all of us, whether we write, perform or listen to music, face a similar challenge: how to relate meaningfully to the past without becoming imbedded in it; how to press toward the future without abandoning the richness of our heritage.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Ellen Taafe Zwilich (b. 1939): Triple Concerto; Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio; Florida State University; Michael Stern, conductor; Koch 7537