Martin Rokeach

Concerto

This Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra by Martin Rokeach was composed for Amy Likar and was premiered in March of 2016 by the Oakland (California) Symphony. The first movement, 'Proclamations, Whispers, Rumors,' opens with a statement, more declamatory than melodic, that is like an urgent proclamation. It traverses through emotional terrain that is sometimes anxious, mysterious, quietly intense, powerful. It is in the second movement, 'Still We Hope,' that the beautiful low register of the piccolo more fully unfolds. Its mood conveys our belief, our yearning, however irrational, that somehow a better world awaits us just around the corner. Lastly, the finale, 'Joy,' whose mood is celebratory, playful, and finally, ecstatic.