Concertino

Concertino
As with most concertante works, this piece is also built on the opposition between the individual and the collective. This relationship is not fixed but rather dynamic throughout the piece. For instance, the piece starts with a tutti passage where only the cello is left out. When it enters, its attempts of reproducing the previous material are miscarried because of cello’s inability to imitate what the three string instruments just played. After this unsuccessful attempt causes everything to collapse, the cello now takes the lead with what gives it its strength; its range. With a line spanning five octaves, no single instrument can follow what the cello is playing, so the whole ensemble must work together. Once the ensemble has achieved a sort of unity among itself, the soloist dictates its power to magnify its leadership. At that point he gains absolute control over the ensemble. Concertino is written for Benjamin Schwartz and dedicated to him.