Franz Reizenstein's Concerto Popolare ("The Piano Concerto to end all Piano Concertos")
Live at The Hoffnung Festival 1956 - Yvonne Arnaud
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| Gerard Hoffnung (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Reizenstein contributed the Concerto Popolare to Gerard Hoffnung's first music festival in 1956.
Hoffnung's festivals were comedy events, trading on the musical knowledge of the audience. The premise of the Concerto Popolare is that the orchestra believes it is playing Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, but the pianist believes he or she is playing the Grieg Piano Concerto. A pitched musical battle ensues, dragging in other themes (notably from Rhapsody in Blue, the Warsaw Concerto and the music-hall song "Roll Out the Barrel"). The soloist at the premiere was Yvonne Arnaud (otherwise a renowned actress), who had been chosen after Hoffnung's first choice, Eileen Joyce, declined.
Gerard Hoffnung (22 March 1925 – 25 September 1959) was an artist and musician, best known for his humorous works.
Franz Theodor Reizenstein (7 June 1911 – 15 October 1968) was a German-born British composer and concert pianist.
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud (20 December 1890 – 20 September 1958)
was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.
