Lyell Cresswell: wasn't going to let his friend down. Photo: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyell_Cresswell#/media/File:Lyell_Cresswell_(4416).jpg] Gareth Watkins CC BY-SA 4.0
Lyell Creswell had already written one concerto for his friend Stephen De Pledge, and just a few days before he died, he completed another - as promised.
Now, two years after Cresswell's death, the composer's third piano concerto is getting its first performances in a concert series that also includes music by Mozart and Copland.
De Pledge is taking his friend's gift on a four-city tour around Aotearoa with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gemma New.
The pianist spoke to RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump about his friendship with Cresswell, how the third concerto came about, what it felt like to get the score just before Cresswell's death, and bringing the music to life two years later.
Pianist Stephen de Pledge Photo: Kelley Eady-Loveridge
