Piano Concerto

Movement 1 - Intrada - Restless and impassioned

I imagined this short introductory movement evoking the lavish pianism of the 19th century, with rich chords and virtuosic passage work across the keyboard. After a final virtuosic sweep, it leads us directly to:

Movement 2 - Very fast

This movement is full of energy. It explores lightning-fast finger-work, fast repeated gestures between the hands and stomping chords.

Movement 3 - Explosive, with abandon!

After an initial explosive orchestral statement, the piano enters with a simple melody. Large orchestral waves unfold, interjected by solo piano passages, leading to a reappearance of the piano melody in a bold, heroic transformation. After three final piano explosions, the work then dissolves into nothing.

Mark Simpson - 2026

“Mark Simpson’s new piano concerto is a thrilling ride… It begins with Simpson’s most romantic gestures — the rich harmonies and thorny passagework of the first movement nod to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, even a dash of Brahms, spectres that Simpson summons fearlessly.”
The Times

“The music of this concerto seems to have been conceived in the eye of a storm… Like Simpson’s other concertos, this one sports an irrepressible energy, as if nothing can hold it down, and the orchestral writing has tremendous panache…”
Financial Times

“…one of the most imaginative orchestrators working today: a subterranean soundworld, unmistakably unique.”
Seen and Heard International