Ammann, Dieter - Piano Concertos - Haefliger, Andreas

When Andreas Haefliger planned this unusual concerto combination, he wanted to put into perspective three works, each of which was unique and highly expressive highlights in the composers' output. It was obvious that Maurice Ravel's concerto for the left hand and Béla Bartók's Third Piano Concerto would meet the requirements: towards the end of his life, Bartók composed his most lyrically expressive concerto, while Ravel, inspired by the characteristics of the left-hand register, wrote a work full of sombre longing and grotesque Fauvist dances. The third work was more of a gamble, as it was a newly commissioned and as yet unwritten concerto. However, the risk was calculated, given composer Dieter Ammann's excellent reputation and Haefliger's personal acquaintance with him. But as Haefliger himself notes: "Nothing could have prepared me for the extraordinary work I received: Piano Concerto – Gran Toccata." While remaining close to tradition in its layering of harmony and rhythm, it explodes into futuristic visions in an extremely personal language and, with its kaleidoscopic colors and pianistic virtuosity, reinvents the genre for the 21st century. The concerto premiered at the 2019 BBC Proms, and Andreas Haefliger has since performed it in Boston, Munich, and Helsinki, where this recording was made. In all three cases, his partner has been Susanna Mälkki, chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, who provides Haefliger with significant support in all three works.