Piano Concerto

for piano and string quartet Originally scored for solo piano and full orchestra, Skempton's Piano Concerto has been arranged by the composer for quintet, broadening its reach to smaller ensembles. The work consists of five short movements, each exploring dissonance in a different way. The first features an ethereal and expansive soundscape that drifts through ever-changing harmonies. Bitonality is suggested in the second movement, while in the third, imitative entries and a repeating sixteen-bar progression culminate in an affirmative E major chord. The fourth movement builds a thick dissonant texture as the strings echo the piano's semitone and tritone intervals. Defying listeners' expectations, the last movement is characterized by its lack of dissonance, and develops a recurring lilting theme as the concerto comes to a close.