Keqrops (weaving), written in 1986, is the composer’s third piano concerto. It is a massive, powerful work written for the Australian pianist Roger Woodward, the New York Philharmonic and their conductor, Zubin Mehta. The orchestra is in fours, with the addition of a harp, although the percussion is composed solely of membranophones. The formidable piano part is often notated on four staves, and sometimes even six, so that it is hardly less demanding than Synaphaï, written out on ten staves (one per finger). Although the piano has barely a dozen bars solo, the performer has no rest since the piano plays for more than three-quarters of the entire score.
Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon.
Iannis Xenakis