at once . Put another way , don ’ t think The Beatles ; think the Traveling Wilburys . Brass and low strings announce the Intrada , eliciting a melody whose rhythmic peculiarities contrast with an obstinate timpani beat . Subsequent sections often dialogue with this initial theme , though not always in recognizeable ways , until its reemergence towards the end of the movement . The Capriccio notturno e Arioso , effectively a scherzo , features a near-constant scampering of strings , winds , and percussion , over which several of the Concerto ’ s more tuneful melodies also emerge . Trumpet interrupts this buzz of activity in the Arioso , and upon recovery the texture becomes increasingly agitated .

With the Passacaglia , Toccata e Corale arrives the heart of the Concerto , exceeding in length and scope the first two movements combined , while also providing a point of confluence for the material thereof . Drawn from folksong , the germ for the Passacaglia ’ s repeating bass line permeates the subsequent Toccata , as does the Intrada ’ s opening theme . The Corale offers fleeting calm , building towards a gleaming , high-octane coda that lives up to the name of Concerto for Orchestra .

Instrumentation : three flutes ( two doubling piccolo ), three oboes ( one doubling English horn ), three clarinets ( one doubling bass clarinet ), three bassoons ( one doubling contrabassoon ), four horns , four trumpets , four trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , two harps , piano , and strings .

JACOB JAHIEL is a writer , editor , and arts administrator living in Baltimore , MD . He is a frequent contributor to EMAg : The Early Music Magazine of North America , and writes program notes for the Boston Artists Ensemble and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , where he also serves on staff .

The Classical Radio Voice of

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