In 1938, Hindemith left Nazi Germany for Switzerland, later settling in the United States. This composition was written in 1945 for virtuoso pianist Jesus Maria Sanroma. A year later the composer would become a U. S. citizen but his Piano Concerto would never quite catch on in his adopted America or in the Europe he fled.

Cast in three movements, the work is structurally unusual, with the first two movements of about ten minutes each and the theme-and-variations finale, in five sections, nearly half again as long as either preceding panel. The first movement, marked "Moderately fast," opens with a typical Hindemithian theme of great developmental potential. The seeming lyricism of the opening quickly yields to more intense and agitated elements, and the music takes on a detached, somewhat intellectual character thereafter. While it is well-crafted, and imaginatively-wrought, it lacks color and thematic appeal.

The second movement, marked "Slow," has a gray atmosphere, but features great depth of expression. It is vaguely reminiscent of some of Bartók's night music in its eerie and generally delicate scoring. The middle section is high in drama and dissonance, but quickly yields back to the gentler music. The finale, bearing the curious marking "Medley—Tre Fontaine" (a Medieval dance), opens with moderately lively music, then turns fast in the second part. A slow middle section follows, and the piece concludes with two Caprices. This movement features much color, a sparsely scored and atmospheric middle section, and a brilliantly virtuosic close. It is in the fifth section that Hindemith presents the main theme, its variations having preceded it. This Concerto is an interesting, if not easily graspable work.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi