''Dialogues II'' is a composition for

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and chamber orchestra by the American composer

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer. One of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, he combined elements of European modernism and American "ultra- ...

. It was composed in celebration of the conductor Daniel Barenboim's 70th birthday. The work was first performed at La Scala,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

on October 25, 2012, by Barenboim on the piano and the Orchestra of La Scala under the conductor

Gustavo Dudamel Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera. Early life Dudamel was ...

. Composed at the age of 103, ''Dialogues II'' was one of Carter's last completed orchestral compositions before his death in November 2012. The piece is a follow-up to the composer's 2003 ''

Dialogues Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is chi ...

'', which was a finalist for the 2005

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

Composition

''Dialogues II'' is composed in a single movement and has a duration of roughly 5 minutes. In dedicating the piece to Daniel Barenboim, Carter wrote in the score program notes, "The dynamo of enthusiasm that propels his extraordinary musical skills; performing, conducting and imagining new ideas and his views on many varied conceptions make Daniel arenboima model and an exciting stimulus for us all." He concluded, "I hope a little of that reveals itself in this 70th birthday present."

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo piano and a chamber orchestra comprising flute,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

, clarinet, bassoon, two

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

, and strings.

Reception

Reviewing a performance of the work at Barenboim's 70th birthday concert, Rosie Pentreath of the '' BBC Music Magazine'' declared ''Dialogues II'' "the only work, one can confidently say, written by a 103-year old." She added, "it is brief, gnomic, and confidently played." The composition was also lauded by Keith Bruce of '' The Herald''.

References

{{italic title Compositions by Elliott Carter 2012 compositions Compositions for piano and orchestra Compositions for chamber orchestra