Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra (Agocs)

Kati Agócs

General Info

Year: 2018
Duration: c. 19:00
Difficulty: Advanced
Publisher: Kati Agócs Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $99.50   |   Study score available for $39.95

Movements

1. Encantada
2. Inquieto
3. Maestoso
4. Brioso

Instrumentation

Violin

Player 1: Crotales...
Player 2: Glockenspiel & Triangle...
Player 3: Vibraphone...
Player 4: Suspended Cymbal (12" and 13" and 14")...
Player 5: Vibraphone...
Player 6: Triangle & Finger Cymbals...

Program Notes

Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University. Scored for solo violin and six percussionists, and conceived as a companion piece to the eponymous work by Lou Harrison, my concerto is cast in four contrasting movements that flow into one another to make an eighteenminute trajectory; the last two movements are played without pause. The first movement, marked “encantata” (enchanted), conjurs an exotic, pure sound world by way of a lyrical violin barcarolle with ringing pitched percussion, including a pair of vibraphones, as the accompaniment. The second movement, “inquieto” (restless), is a fast dirge that highlights two xylophones in close conversation both with one another and with the violin. The third movement, majestic in tone and tempo, is a recitative and aria that showcase the warmth and mysterious colour of a pair of marimbas. The recitative features the solo timpani in dialogue with the violin; chromatic inflections of the aria’s lyrical violin line embody the drama (and sense of melting) of flying too close to the sun. The final movement, “brioso” (spirited), creates a dialectic between a wild, exotic dance and a bittersweet anthem (“cantabile”). All mallet percussion instruments now join in a melodic role, building to a “wall of sound” with the return of the brioso theme. After a brief violin cadenza, the skins (drums) rise energetically to the foreground for the first time. Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra is dedicated with gratitude and appreciation to Frank Epstein, Nicholas Kitchen, and the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble. - Kati Agócs, 2018

Review

”Soulful violin…throbbing percussion…piquant melodies and propulsive rhythms create a whirlwind, Gypsy-like dance, its exultant final flourish ending the concerto” - THE WHOLE NOTE

“Inspired by Lou Harrison’s midcentury concertos for violin and percussion, Kati Agócs surrounded violinist Jennifer Koh with pairs of mallet instruments — vibes, xylophones, marimbas and glockenspiel — and only made drums prominent in the finale….Agócs spun fluid and sometimes florid turns for Koh over ear-friendly harmonies and rhythms.” - THE ASPEN TIMES

“The four-movement Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra by Kati Agócs begins with Incanta, gentle tinkles accompanying a long-lined, sentimental violin melody. In the animated Inquieto, staccato percussion punctuates rapid, repeated violin figurations. Maestoso presents another extended, soulful violin melody, slowly throbbing percussion, an intense violin cadenza leading to a dramatic tutti climax before returning to the opening lyricism. Brioso.Cantabile’s piquant melodies and propulsive rhythms create a whirlwind, Gypsy-like dance, its exultant final flourish ending both the concerto and this very entertaining CD.” - THE WHOLE NOTE, Review of world premiere recording by Nicolas Kitchen and the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble conducted by Frank Epstein, 12 February 2023 (Michael Schulman)

"Inspired by Lou Harrison’s midcentury concertos for violin and percussion, composer Kati Agócs surrounded violinist Jennifer Koh with pairs of mallet instruments — vibes, xylophones, marimbas and glockenspiel — and only made drums prominent in the finale. Once a student in Aspen’s composition program, Agócs spun fluid and sometimes florid turns for Koh over busy (and mostly soft-textured) ear-friendly harmonies and rhythms.” - THE ASPEN TIMES, Review of Aspen Music Festival Percussion Ensemble Concerto conducted by Jonathan Haas, 10 August 2019 (Harvey Steiman)

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra (Agocs) - Violin; Percussion Sextet
Joystick - Multiple Percussion