Piano Concerto in D

Simon Hester’s first Piano Concerto is a continuation of the fresh and very personal style that was first heard in his 24 Piano Preludes (2009) and his “Speaking Latin” Suite (2011). The composer sees these works as bridging a developing gap in contemporary classical music that has emerged over the last 50 years, the gap between music that is both serious AND accessible.

The Concerto is a work which follows a tautly developed narrative and never neglects melodic inventiveness, immediacy and instrumental bravura whilst always being unmistakeably contemporary. The music is filled with a colourful and eclectic mix of styles and influences.

The piece is a melodic work first and foremost, firmly rooted in the form of the Romantic concerto, but from that starting point I’ve opened the door to all the influences that inspire me. There’s no pastiche here, but rather what I hope to be a rediscovery of an almost forgotten way of writing concertos.

Such a work is able to reach a wide audience as it gives new life to the traditional virtuosic concerto.