John La Montaine

Concerto op. 9

The Concerto, in three movements, affirms both the lyric and virtuoso capabilities of the piano. The First Movement is bold and decisive, classic in form, romantic in content. The Second Movement is slow and introspective, rising to an overwhelming climax. It is an elegy in memory of the composer's sister, Isabel La Montaine. The Finale, in quadruple meter, is brilliant, rhythmic, and march-like, interrupted twice by an extended songful passage of great intensity in triple meter. All the thematic and passage material of the final movement is derived from the opening of the First Movement.