Ernest Pingoud's 3rd Piano Concerto (1922)

[tpaloj]

An unpublished and unrecorded work, like many of Pingoud's orchestral pieces. It was performed in Berlin in 1923 with Leonid Kreutzer as soloist and Pingoud conducting.

It was further performed three times in Helsinki in early April, 1924, with Egbert Grape as soloist, then brought to fair success in Turku in 15.4.1924. A newspaper review mentions planned performances in London, Copenhagen, Berlin and Braunschwich, but I don't know if those performances ever materialized. It was later performed once in Finland in 1942, then just once more in 1958.

A review of the 15.4.1924 concert in Turku had praise for the work:

• "Less apocryphal than the composer's usual works..."
• "How beautiful the piano sounds! The difficult issue of combining the piano with the orchestra has been solved here in the most interesting and memorable fashion. The piano says just what belongs to it in terms of the work as a whole..."
• "The union of pure harmony and endlessly nonsensical melody, but above all, of harmony..."
• "The orchestra never attempts to drown the soloist's beautiful part, but instead contends to accompanying it poetically with just a few strokes of sounds..."
• "A few overflowing tutti sections in the main parts, yet the side themes are lyrical in nature..."
• "The composer especially utilizes the woodwind section beautifully..."

I found the second movement sublime, not unlike in mood to the slow movement of Pfitzner's PC, so I had to transcribe and upload it. A computer recording is far from perfect of course, but it's a start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ASSALnkxI


PS: The first, brief 3 min movement of Pingoud's unrecorded, enticingly Scriabinesque "Cor Ardens", a symphonic poem about 16 minutes in length. Not sure it should warrant a new thread of its own, but here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9d8bize74ji6ps1/Ernest%20Pingoud%20-%20Cor%20Ardens%2C%20Mvmt%20I.mp3?dl=0

[tuatara442442]

Tuomas, do you still have plans to finish the whole work?

[tpaloj]

Tuomas, do you still have plans to finish the whole work?

Thanks for asking! I've been working on the audio lately and yes, you can look forward to a complete video on December 6th

Make no mistake, this is a tough piece to turn into a digital performance. It all comes down to Pingoud's very individual voice and his want to experiment with the music, and how difficult that is to emulate using the tools I have within my notation software. Interestingly, despite the many heavily percussive elements present in the outer movements, the overall mood in this concerto is often quite chamber music-like, intimate and personal. So, as I'm still editing and figuring out the tempi and dynamics for the audio, hopefully you will allow me a little more time to get everything sounding as close to how I think Pingoud might have imaged it!

[tuatara442442]

Great, Tuomas. Thank you for your diligent work! I'm looking forward to it.

[promusician]

Are you planning to complete Linko's 1st piano concerto?

[tpaloj]

Are you planning to complete Linko's 1st piano concerto?

Yes, but not in the near future. Maybe next february/march-ish or later. The photocopy scans I have are not the best quality to work from. I'll have to think if I need to consult the original archive materials at some point.

[tuatara442442]

Speaking of Linko, Tuomas, I think in the case that the prospect of a broadcast of his Symphonie chevaleresque is uncertain, please also consider continuing your simulation of it.

[tpaloj]

Speaking of Linko, Tuomas, I think in the case that the prospect of a broadcast of his Symphonie chevaleresque is uncertain, please also consider continuing your simulation of it.

I believe the archive tape recording of Linko's symphony is held by YLE in Helsinki. All YLE archive tapes can be listened on site at the computers at Sibelius Academy Library. If I have time, I'll see if it's there. Sometimes the copyright status of their archive tapes is complicated, which is why they can broadcast some but not all of them over radio. First things first, Linko's first, but I appreciate the encouragement 

[tpaloj]

Well, back to Pingoud!

Here is the link to the complete concerto, transcribed in Dorico and played with Noteperformer instruments. A very difficult concerto to put together via digital means due to Pingoud's modernist writing and constantly changing tempi. I was able to proofread the original manuscript materials, including the performance parts and Pingoud's reduction for two pianos (unfortunately a slightly unfinished arrangement found only in ms) which helped to correct many issues that the photocopy score available from MCF alone could not. For example, Pingoud wrote many corrections into the full score with a particular bright red ink that turned out to be completely invisible in the b/w photocopy!

Regardless, it's a very characteristic work by Pingoud, with a very beautiful middle movement and some piquant rhythmic writing in the outer movements. I attached an old score of mine for the video, which I'd love to do an overhaul but never somehow found the time for. Hopefully it's ok to look at.

YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtu.be/Bu_wehGuxrk?si=zz2JpnNg-HH70ny_

[Ilja]

A very nice piece, somehow reminiscent of Shostakovich's (much later) second piano concerto in its combination of spiky rhythms and more lyrical passages. It's very different music though, with a unique, brooding atmosphere.

[tuatara442442]

Many thanks for finally finish it, Tuomas!

[eschiss1]

"apocryphal" meaning of doubtful authenticity (manuscript-wise- I don't think the term refers to authenticity in the sense of sincerity or "personal integrity", but just of provenance, whether or not the work is actually by the composer it's claimed to be, etc. ...), or of or relating to the Scriptural Apocrypha? If the former, I'm seriously confused.