Michael Shapiro
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Duration: 30'
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Translation, reprints and more
Michael Shapiro
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Available digitally
Type: Dirigierpartitur
Sample pages
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Work introduction
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is perhaps the most programmatic piece of music I have ever written. Archangel is in two books. Book One depicts the war between the forces of good and evil set forth in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Book Two portrays Adam and Eve (and the Serpent) in Eden and their being cast out into the world we all live. Archangel was premiered at the Church of the Holy Virgin in Manhattan by Jose Ramos Santana, pianist, New York Repertory Orchestra, David Leibowitz, conductor. Recorded by Steven Beck, pianist, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Michael Shapiro, on Paumanok Records, this recording went viral during the Pandemic reflecting the work's vibrant depiction of the battle between good and evil which began in Milton's vision prior to the creation of the Universe.