Program Notes
When I began writing this concerto, the first image that came to mind was of a plane, moving through towering cumulonimbus clouds. From the ground, the plane seems so small, while the clouds rise stories high — so vast and foreboding. And yet, the plan is the only solid presence in that sky. We can barely rely on weather predictions even an hour in advance, but we are willing to trust that metal vessel with our lives as we ask it to carry us safely to distant places in a matter of hours.
This is the image that begins the second movement of this concerto, but it stayed with me throughout the piece.
It was an absolute honor to write this music for Gil Shaham and Orli Shaham. When I was a child, I owned their album Dvorak for Two — it was one of my first CDs, and I listened to it often when I was just discovering classical music for the first time. On the cover is an image of the two of them, sitting in two chairs straddling a window that is just beaming with light between them. And that is how they are as musicians — radiant, luminous, vibrant.
Recording
archival recording is available — please contact us.
Premiere/Performances
Double Concerto was commissioned by National Symphony Orchestra (lead commissioner), Virginia Symphony and Arts Festival and Aspen Music Festival. It was premiered by National Symphony Orchestra on February 26-28, 2026 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC with David Robertson, conductor.