Among the abundance of piano concertos composed by Mozart, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, the piano's sonority amidst Classical and Romantic-era compositions has remained timeless.
However, sometimes we just want something new. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel champions new music of our age by commissioning concertos for piano and orchestra. With over 30 commissioned concertos since 2000, he has premiered works by acclaimed composers including Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Charles Strouse and Lowell Liebermann.
This Sunday, Biegel, featured in Traverse City Philharmonic "American Fireworks!" concert, will be performing the Michigan premiere of yet another concerto he commissioned: Peter Boyer's "Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue."
Jeffrey Biegel visited IPR ahead of the concert to talk to Amanda Sewell about this new concerto, the commissioning process and his collaborations with orchestras across all 50 states.
quotations have been edited for clarity
On Peter Boyer's "Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue"
Peter Boyer originally said no because he didn't want to be compared to Gershwin. But I told him he's so good at Americana music - Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Williams — it's all in a blender with him, but it all comes out original.
I said, paraphrasing the famous Ravel quote to George Gershwin, instead of being a second-rate Gershwin, just be a first-rate Boyer? And I think I convinced him.
In the slow, lyrical section, it really touches you and reaches you. It's cinematic. You can visualize taking a hang glider over the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls or Mount Rushmore.
On why he continues to commission new piano concertos
Everything is progress. Everything evolves. My teacher always said, "We don't change, we just reveal ourselves." We evolve.
We have to be mindful of why we're here. It's not just to maintain the past but to look to the future. What are the pianists 50 years from now going to have to look back on?
On the process of commissioning a piece
They're all different. There's something about creating it from ground zero and starting fresh with an approach to a composer and an idea. How do you put it all together? How do you raise money?
It's like putting a puzzle together. Sometimes a piece looks like it fits and you're jamming it in, but it just doesn't fit. And later you find the right piece and realize, oh, it fits in there.
It takes time and patience and the ability to accept the word "no."
Hear the full interview by clicking or tapping "Listen."
Music heard in this interview (all recordings feature pianist Jeffrey Biegel)
Peter Boyer, Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue
Giovanni Allevi, Piano Concerto No. 1
Leroy Anderson, Piano Concerto in C major
The Traverse City Philharmonic's "American Fireworks!" concert featuring music by Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland and Boyer with soloist Jeffrey Biegel will be held on Sunday, January 18 at 3 p.m. in Corson Auditorium.
