The composition of works for solo piano runs through Hans Gál's entire oeuvre. Like all of the piano reductions for his operas, cantatas and solo concertos, the piano reduction of the Piano Concerto Op. 57 was written by the composer himself.

First performed in Bournemouth in 1949, the Piano Concerto fell into oblivion after 1959, only to be performed again in 2009 by Hartmut Hudezeck for the first time in 50 years. The chamber-musical texture of the Piano Concerto – each part literally plays a role and has an independent contrapuntal function ­ makes rehearsing with the aid of the piano reduction virtually indispensable.

The present critical edition was prepared by Anthony Fox with the essential support of Hartmut Hudezeck, who, thanks to his practical performance experience and his expertise in the field, was able to address not only questions of content but also of performance practice. Moreover, the edition benefits from Sarah Beth Briggs’s annotations, who first recorded the work with the Royal Northern Sinfonia under the baton of Kenneth Woods on CD.

“The Concerto is notable for its tightly organized musical material shared equally between soloist and orchestra: …attractive and accessible…” (Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine)