This piece is my first multi-movement composition, and was written in 2016-2017. It was, at the time, my largest completed completed composition, with a full performance lasting about 25 minutes.
The piece was originally conceived as a piano concerto, and the now-first movement was initially going to be the slow movement, in a similar manner to the third movement of Brahms' Piano Concerto no. 2. However, I came across a composition competition called the Young Composers Challenge, or The Composium, and decided to turn it into a shorter chamber piece. The original concerto-version lasted over 15 minutes, and the maximum timing was 5 minutes. So, a lot was cut from the original concerto-version (which, I should mention, was not orchestrated or completed), but the results were just as satisfying, though the cropping of it was rather painful. The piece was first performed at a small chamber music festival for students, with myself at the piano, in 2016. I ended up actually winning a place in competition, and it was performed, again, with myself at the piano that same year. By that time, however, I was making more movements for the piece, and finally, the completed version was performed in Moscow, for the concert for the 2017 International Summer School of the Moscow Conservatory. So, that is the story of my Piano Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 3.
The quartet is in 4 movements:
Movement 1. - Moderato, quasi andante (B-flat major)
Movement 2. - Intermezzo: Allegretto moderato (F major)
Movement 3. - Moderato (B-flat major)
Movement 4. - Finale: Furioso (B-flat minor-major)
The musicians in the Moscow performance are: Mikhail Akinfin - violin, Alexandra Zhelvakova - viola, Alexandra Parfeneva - Violoncello, and me as the pianist. I unfortunately do not know who the other performers in the Composium concert were.
Here are the performances:
I hope you all enjoy. 馃檪
Theo