Composition
''Interventions'' has a duration of roughly 15 minutes and is composed in one continuous Movement (music), movement. Carter wanted the piece to fully utilize the talents of both Barenboim and Levine. He described its composition in the score program notes, writing, "I soon realized that it could not be a regular piano concerto because it would not give equal prevalence to both performers. So I decided to write a work that had one long line, mostly for the strings, interrupted by the piano which also had its developing part interrupted by the orchestra. Each intervening in the other's part, sometimes humorously."Instrumentation
The work is scored for solo piano and a large orchestra comprising three Western concert flute, flutes (first and third doubling piccolo, second doubling alto flute), three oboes (second doubling cor anglais), two clarinets (second doubling bass clarinet), contrabass clarinet (also doubling bass clarinet), two bassoons, contrabassoon, four French horn, horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, four percussionists, and String section, strings.Reception
''Interventions has been praised by music critics. Reviewing the world premiere, Jeremy Eichler of ''The Boston Globe'' wrote, "As you might expect in a Carter work, the traditional model of the Romantic music, Romantic piano concerto is tossed out the window in favor of something more fractured and, quite purposefully, more evenhanded in the interplay between soloist and orchestra." He added: The piece was also lauded by Anthony Tommasini of ''The New York Times'', who opined, "... the 17-minute piece — though brainy and complex, like all of Mr. Carter's scores — was somehow celebratory: lucidly textured, wonderfully inventive, even impish. This was the work of a living master in full command." Mark Swed of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a feisty score" and said it made a performance of Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring'' "anticlimactic" by comparison. He also wrote of Carter, "The world has never known such an artist, one who has reached 100 prolifically making vibrant work for which the wisdom of experience is employed to produce new sensations. History has been made before in Carnegie Hall and centenaries of great composers celebrated, but Thursday’s concert was a first."References
{{italic title Compositions by Elliott Carter 2007 compositions Compositions for piano and orchestra