Concerto for Xylophone and String Orchestra

Boris Papandopulo (1906 – 1991) is one of the most distinctive Croatian musicians of the 20th century. Papandopulo also worked as music writer, journalist, reviewer, pianist and piano accompanist; however, he achieved the peaks of his career in music as a composer. His composing oeuvre is imposing – Papandopulo composed almost 500 opuses: with great success he created instrumental (orchestral, concertante, chamber and solo), vocal and instrumental (for solo voice and choir), music-stage and film music. In all these kinds and genres he left a string of anthology-piece compositions of great artistic value. The Concerto for xylophone and string orchestra of 1983 is one of the most performed of all the maestro’s concerti. It consists of four movements. The first movement is founded on an interesting neo-Baroque theme of repetitive elements, an ideal composition for a xylophone. The second movement is meditative and indeed elegiac in nature and makes brilliant use of the acoustic capacities of the instrument, leading the listener through the wondrous tonal landscapes of the movement, gloomy and just at moments lit up with a gleam of light. The third movement is a charming waltz with elements of humour and the grotesque, in which the concertante practice of rivalry between soloist and orchestra comes to the fore. The last movement is a kind of tarantella, a rapid Mediterranean dance in triplets in which Papandopulo enables the soloist to show off all their skills.