WORLD PREMIERE – Brahms / arr. Lazić: Piano Concerto “No. 4” (after the Double Concerto)

This September Dejan is premiering his brand-new project of love in the USA – entitled J. Brahms / arr. D. Lazić: Piano Concerto “No. 4” in A minor (after the Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, Op. 102), together with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by their Music Director Robert Spano.

After the tremendous worldwide success of his previous arrangement of the Brahms Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra (which was also recorded by Dejan together with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Robert Spano), he now returns with this next milestone!

✍️ Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra writes: “A historic classical music moment is coming to Fort Worth (TX), USA this September 25–27! For the first time ever, pianist and composer Dejan Lazić is bringing his brand-new arrangement of Brahms’ Double Concerto to the stage – adapting both solo violin and cello parts into one monumental performance for piano and orchestra. Dejan will perform it together with the FWSO and Robert Spano in three concerts at the Bass Performance Hall on 25, 26 & 27 September 2026.

ℹ️ On 15, 16 & 17 April 2027, Dejan Lazić and Robert Spano will also team up with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to perform this concerto again in three concerts at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta (GA), USA.

🎻 🎻 👉 🎹 In his essay about this new arrangement, Dejan writes: “I have long been intrigued by the concept of rendering the Brahms Double Concerto into an idiomatic version for piano and orchestra, particularly following my 2009 arrangement of the Brahms Violin Concerto. My inspiration stems from a historical precedent: the piano adaptations of the Bach and Beethoven violin concertos, both executed by the composers themselves. It is with a sense of pride that I present the third “Great B” in this arrangement – conceived, in a sense, as Brahms’ Fourth Piano Concerto.

Historically, it is well documented that Brahms frequently arranged and transcribed both his own compositions and the works of others, a practice mirrored by contemporaries who adapted his music. I am convinced these efforts were entirely justified; thus, I trust that Brahms himself would endorse this project. This undertaking naturally raises the rhetorical question of what defines a transcription, an arrangement, or an entirely newly conceived, reimagined version. I believe that the key to resolving this conundrum lies in the following approach: I sought to reconstruct the original violin and cello parts from the ground up, recomposing the solo voices in an authentic Brahmsian style. Throughout the process, my guiding principle was to envision exactly how Brahms would have approached the keyboard. Crucially, the orchestral score remains entirely unaltered.

Furthermore, this re-conceptualised version offers a highly coherent realisation. Structurally, the arrangement naturally integrates Brahmsian compositional features of the original version, such as small and large triplets, long sustained double trills, and the complex juxtaposition of hemiolas, syncopated rhythms, and shifted upbeats. These elements closely mirror the pianistic texture of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15. Even the choice of D major for the second movement mirrors the tonal architecture of the First Piano Concerto, despite the differing home keys of their outer movements. Ultimately, this realisation focuses on more than just assigning the violin and cello lines to the pianist’s two hands; it prioritises the rich interplay of diverse sonic registers, colours, and moods. The core objective was to reimagine the piece strictly as an idiosyncratic piano concerto.

Executed solely out of deep respect and admiration for the composer and its original version, this arrangement aims to translate Brahms’ unique musical language into a new setting without diminishing its original artistic value. In doing so, it offers pianists an equal opportunity to perform and enjoy this magnificent masterpiece, just as violinists and cellists have for over 139 years.” – Dejan Lazić, 2026