Peskanov Piano Concerto No. 4, arranged for two pianos.
Piano Concerto No. 4 is dedicated to the composer’s dear friend, Li-Ly Chang. Li-Ly’s students have participated in several piano competitions performing Peskanov works. Li-Ly Chang is the founder of the Young Artist Piano Competition, which introduces works by Chinese composers to American audiences.
This concerto, written in 3 contrasting movements, is intended for very young students who are in the process of developing their basic piano skills. The soloist and orchestra engage in a musical dialogue. The accompaniment is modest, in order to highlight the melodic line of the solo part. Concerto #4 is written in G Major, with the 2nd movement featuring the relative minor in the key of E. Movements 1 and 3 are reminiscent of Haydn symphonies, while the 2nd movement has a baroque flavor.
An interesting feature of this work is that in the 1st and 2nd movements, the theme is played in unison, one octave apart. This common element contributes to the continuity of the concerto. The simplicity and transparency of the harmonic progressions make this work quite accessible to young performers, and serves as a fine introduction to standard classical and romantic piano repertoire.
