Concerto For Marimba and Chamber Orchestra (pno red) by Richard Rodney Bennett

Is written in two movements. The slower opening movement is impressionistic and crystalline with the marimba serving as an obligate over the orchestral harmonies. Only in the two cadenzas does the marimba texture thicken, reminiscent of Bennett’s earlier writing for solo marimba.

The driving second movement features a molto ritmico theme for the marimba which is punctuated by the orchestra. The movement builds to a fiendishly difficult in temp cadenza where the marimba, in effect, becomes the entire orchestra. A brief echo of the first movement is heard which leads to the dramatic close of the piece.

Concerto for Marimba and Chamber Orchestra was commissioned by William Moersch and New Music Marimba. The premiere took place on March 11, 1988 with the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra in Allentown, Pennsylvania with Mr Moersch as soloist.