Description

Conte was composed for the Maj Lind competition in Finland. The composer has said that two thoughts lie behind the title: the literal meaning of ‘conte’ as an oral narrative, and the possibility of imagining the gestures in the music as if they were dramatic characters. The Finnish writer Tuija Hakkila writes that “Conte is like a chameleon, showing its many faces for one instant at a time... The music undergoes a continuous process of riddling metamorphosis, the story winds and digresses, almost as if the narrator — wrapped in his tale — cannot complete one episode before being swept up again by fresh, powerful impulses”.

(From the concert program Honoring Finland, Merkin, USA, April 12, 1997)

Instrumentation

pno

Category

Works for Solo Instrument

Opus no.

op.27

Premiere

Tuija Hakkila, Helsinki, February 22, 1986.

Commisioned by / dedications

Commissioned by the Sibelius Academy for the Maj Lind Piano Competition.

+ Add information