SKU: HL.51481508

Ravel's plans for a piano concerto can be traced back to 1906, but it was only in early 1929 that the composer seriously started work on one. He later stated that he wrote it “in the spirit of the concertos by Mozart and Saint-Saëns”, the music being “cheerful and brilliant” and not “aiming for profundity or dramatic effects”. The outer movements are characterised by rhythmic drive and borrowings from jazz; while the slow movement, with its subtle shifts of accented beats, is entirely dedicated to melody. Alongside manuscripts and prints, a recording made under Ravel's supervision by the work's dedicatee, Marguerite Long, was consulted for this Henle Urtext edition. Since its successful premiere in January 1932 the concerto has been part of the repertoire of all great pianists, including Pascal Rogé, the French music expert who has provided the fingerings for the solo part.

About Henle Urtext

What I can expect from Henle Urtext editions:

• error-free, reliable musical texts based on meticulous musicological research - fingerings and bowings by famous artists and pedagogues
• preface in 3 languages with information on the genesis and history of the work 
• Critical Commentary in 1 – 3 languages with a description and evaluation of the sources and explaining all source discrepancies and editorial decisions 
• most beautiful music engraving 
• page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them 
• excellent print quality and binding 
• largest Urtext catalogue world-wide 
• longest Urtext experience (founded 1948 exclusively for Urtext editions)

SKU: HL.51481383

UPC: 196288308102. 9.25x12.25x0.123 inches.

Bach's harpsichord concertos have proven extremely popular, though several were originally written as concertos for another solo instrument – either violin or a woodwind instrument. But we know nothing about any such preliminary versions in the case of the A-major Concerto BWV 1055. Its enchantingly songlike middle movement inevitably makes one think of the oboe d�amore, though there is in fact no reason to suppose that its idiomatic, spirited harpsichord writing was conceived from the outset for anything but a keyboard instrument. Ultimately, this music is so fresh and irresistible that all such speculation is irrelevant. For this Henle Urtext edition of the A-major Concerto, we consulted the autograph score and especially the original orchestral parts that presumably contain the musical text of the concerto as Bach himself performed it. You can�t get more authentic than this! The piano reduction contains the solo part with carefully chosen fingerings by Michael Schneidt, plus a piano accompaniment that Johannes Umbreit has arranged so as to be practical and easily playable.

About Henle Urtext

What I can expect from Henle Urtext editions:

• error-free, reliable musical texts based on meticulous musicological research - fingerings and bowings by famous artists and pedagogues
• preface in 3 languages with information on the genesis and history of the work 
• Critical Commentary in 1 – 3 languages with a description and evaluation of the sources and explaining all source discrepancies and editorial decisions 
• most beautiful music engraving 
• page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them 
• excellent print quality and binding 
• largest Urtext catalogue world-wide 
• longest Urtext experience (founded 1948 exclusively for Urtext editions)