Webb-Mitchell 韦伯－米切尔

The world premiere of Andrew Webb-Mitchell’s piano concerto was given on 20 December 2023 in Zhuzhou, China, by International Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medalist Barry Douglas CBE and the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Eduard Topchjan, and subsequently featured in a eight-city tour of the region. Plans for the world premiere were delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the first movement was sketched during the lockdown at the composer’s Gateshead home. The rest of the concerto was completed in Zhuhai, China, where Andrew was Music Director at the Webb-Mitchell Centre for Choral Studies.

The feeling of intense isolation during the lockdown, which Andrew likened to Mahlerian Waldeinsamkeit, is represented by the opening theme in the introduction to the first movement, reappearing in a transformed form later in the finale. Despite the fearfulness of the opening, the concerto is triumphant and joyous in nature. The first movement, written in the composer’s own version of sonata form, contrasts a heroic and unrelenting first subject bursting free from the Waldeinsamkeit of the introduction with the feminine lyricism of the second subject. The Mozartian grace and introspective nature of the slow movement contrast strongly with the lively humour of the scherzo-like finale.

Ambitious in scale, the piano concerto lasts 38 minutes in performance. However, rather than being merely a virtuosic showcase for the soloist, the work was described by pianist Barry Douglas as a sinfonia concertante. The relationship between the soloist and orchestra is more collaborative and integrated, resembling a dialogue or chamber-like interaction where the soloist shares thematic material with the ensemble. The soloist contrasts with the orchestra but remains part of the overall symphonic texture, without dominating it.