Duplicates: A Concerto


Duplicates: A Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra is a concerto for two pianos and orchestra by the American composer Mel Powell. The work was commissioned in 1987 by the philanthropist Betty Freeman for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. It was first performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on January 26, 1990, by the pianists Alan Feinberg and Robert Taub and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the conductor David Alan Miller. The composition was awarded the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Composition

Inception

In an April 1990 interview with The New York Times, Powell recalled of his inspiration for the composition:

Structure

Duplicates: A Concerto has a duration of approximately 32 minutes and is composed in three movements:
  1. Onta
  2. Three Interludes
  3. "Onta" Variants
The second movement comprises three interludes respectively titled "Madrigal," "Immobile," and "Mobile."

Instrumentation

The work is scored for two solo pianos and an orchestra comprising piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, two harps, three percussionists, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing the world premiere, John Henken of the Los Angeles Times gave the work modest praise, remarking, "Large in dimension and ambition, and uncompromising in the atonal complexity of its thought and deed, Duplicates impressed heavily, but only intermittently entranced, on its first hearing." He added: