Description
Program Notes for Piano Concerto #1 “The Russian Concerto” by Gary A. Edwards
The Russian Concerto tells a story in music. The 1st movement, Theme takes us back to the 1930's where the Soviet people are experiencing Stalinist repression and Americans experiences in the Great Depression.
1st movement Theme B symbolizes the end of World War II as we see the lives of two soldiers, one American and the other, Russian. The soldiers meet on the Elbe River and celebrate victory over Germany.
1st movement Theme C takes us to the time period between 1959 to 1962. The Cold War heats up culminating in the Cuban missile crisis.
1st movement Theme D takes us to about 1972. A young Russian peasant girl dances and sings with her mother. In America the music represents the hippy movement in San Francisco. The Russian peasant girl’s father dies.
1st movement Theme E – The Russian peasant girl experiences hardships in the village. The American side of the story shows struggles for material success.
In the 2nd movement, we are in modern times. 2nd movement. Theme A continues with two stories, a Russian girl living without her father and an American man preparing to travel to Russia.
2nd movement Theme B takes us to a café in Kiev and a chance romantic meeting that changes two lives of Love forever.
2nd movement Theme C music represents the surreal dreams of love.
2nd movement Theme D music turns dramatic as the Russian girl engages in a dangerous and exciting deception to escape her Russian KGB tour guide to unite with the American man.
2nd movement Theme E music represents the birth and childhood of product of the love between the Russian girl and the American Man, a prodigy.
3rd movement music is a quick flashbacks of events of four generations. Of Russians and Americans leading the symbolic uniting of the two cultures.
This concerto was the basis for a screenplay called The Prodigy by Gary A. Edwards and Lyuba Sokoloff Wold.
Copyright © 2010 by Gary A. Edwards. All rights reserved.
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