A Tippett Triple

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1980, at a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Colin Davis led the London Symphony in the premiere of a Triple Concerto for violin, viola and cello with orchestra, a new work by British composer Michael Tippett.

The central slow movement of the new Triple Concerto, marked “very slow — calmer still,” proved to be one of Tippett’s most lyrical and colorful moments, and with it, Tippett joined a long line of Western composers, including Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britten, and Lou Harrison, who have been inspired by Asian music: specifically the traditional bronze gong orchestras of the islands of Indonesia, known as “gamelan.”

Shortly before he composed his Triple Concerto, Tippet had visited Java and Bali, and had experienced first-hand performances of gamelan music in the palaces, temples and gardens of Indonesia.

In describing the role of the artist as he saw it, Tippett suggested “the creation of images of vigor for a decadent period, images of calm for one too violent, images of reconciliation for a world torn by divisions, and in an age of mediocrity and shattered dreams, images of abounding, generous, exuberant beauty.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Michael Tippett (1905-1998): Triple Concerto; Kovacic-Caussé-Baillie Trio; BBC Philharmonic; Michael Tippett, conductor; Nimbus 5301