Probably the most significant reasons for starting as ambitious a project as the Concerto for Piano and Double String Orchestra were my fascination with the lush sound possibilities of the string orchestra and the exciting prospects of a musical dialogue between the strings and a contrasting solo instrument. I chose to use the piano because, in combination with strings, its percussive character is an advantage when it comes to the instrumentation of complex harmonies.

In addition, because of its prominent timbre and great dynamic power, the piano adequately voices a message that at times requires a great deal of vigor. The concerto features two separate string sections that are grouped on both the left and the right side of the solo instrument. Thus the concerto is a dialogue between three groups rather than the more typical two. A small body of percussion instruments has been used to accent special rhythmic and sometimes coloristic effects.

The opening movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is rhapsodic in character. The mood is initially dark and intense. The movement opens with a motif that is Òas harsh as Fate.Ó A middle section breaks this sincerity and evolves into an almost impressionist game of opposing harmonies and playful gestures. This pleasant atmosphere is disturbed by a sudden restatement of the opening. This time the music is charged even more than before. A climactic harmony, posed by all three groups alike, seems to ask for response. The answer comes in the form of a ghost like version of the first four notes of the opening motif, repeated by the strings using only harmonics, accompanied by the piano playing only harmonics as well.

The second movement, Adagio, starts with the piano innocently introducing what appears to be a simple tonal cadence. However, melody and accompaniment modulate in opposite directions. What started out as pure and innocent becomes a haunting game of unresolved harmonic tension. The strings add to the atmosphere by drenching the music in soft clusters. A faster middle section moves swiftly towards a climactic passage that dissolves abruptly, leaving only a haze of string clusters and a soaring melody in the piano trying to resolve its tonal dilemma.

In the final movement, Rondo: Allegrissimo, the piano shows its strength in agility by introducing a fast whirlwind-like theme in an irregular meter that uses almost all registers. The orchestras respond with previously-heard material. A second theme is introduced by the first violins in one of the orchestras, while the rest of the string groups accompany col legno. The development section recapitulates some of the material of the first movement, this time in a much more aggressive and violent setting. Out of this the piano emerges with the second theme accelerating towards the conclusion. In the closing measures a united group plays out its final cadence.