Solo Instrument and orchestra
This is one of the works of the ‘Welsh’ series in that it takes as its starting point the legend of Merlin and his role in the myth of the two dragons that fight under the mountain of Dinas Emrys. The legend portrays the white dragon (representing the foreign Anglo Saxons) fighting the red dragon (representing the indigenous Celtic people, as the piano), but the concerto makes the piano overcome its adversary through the power of its lyrical and rhythmic music.
I had long harboured the thought of writing a violin concerto because I was intrigued by the technical difficulties of pitting a solo string instrument against, or with, an orchestra, and more particularly so after hearing Birtwistle convey his pleasure in creating a work in which he could hear every note of the soloist. I wanted to write a piece that nurtured the innate lyricism of the instrument and that could be easily understood.
It is published by Universal Edition.