Fortepiano and Harpsichord Concertos
Pawel Siwczak enjoys collaborating with orchestras, equally comfortable leading from the keyboard or working alongside a conductor. Fortepiano concertos by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or harpsichord concertos by Bach and De Falla are a wonderful chance to explore the warmth and freshness of historical keyboards paired with period or modern ensembles. Pawel’s experimental approach means he is also open for commissions from established composers keen to explore the sonority of the harpsichord or fortepiano, or creatively combining the sound of “old” and “new”.
Here are some samples of Pawel’s concerto collaborations
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271 “Jenamy”
Also known as “Jeunehomme”, this piano concerto written in Salzburg in 1777 is full of youthful energy. Pawel loves playing it on his copy of Mozart’s favourite instrument, a Walter & Sohn fortepiano built by Paul McNulty.
Recording from Baroquestock festival 2019
Approx. 30 min | Orchestra: 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings
Joseph Haydn
Keyboard concerto in D major
This early work can be played on the harpsichord or the fortepiano, and it’s an exuberant example of Haydn’s musical style. Pawel’s preference is to play it on a fortepiano as it responds better to the textures of this work. It could be played on a smaller instrument, as when Pawel performed it on the Stein piano that Haydn played himself, from Cobbe Collection in Hatchlands, UK.
Coming soon: Recording from a concert with the Royal Academy of Music Classical Ensemble at Cobbe Collection, 2021
orchestra arranged for flute, 2 violins, viola and cello by Daniel Maltz
Approx: 20 min | Orchestra: 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings

Manuel de Falla
Concerto for Harpsichord and 5 instruments
Chamber concerto for Harpsichord with Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin and Cello
Written over the years 1923-26 and dedicated to Wanda Landowska, who premiered the work, and with whom Pawel has a special affinity through his Polish heritage and educational lineage.
Pawel is currently working on a project that includes this concerto performed alongside a contemporary commission from Héloïse Werner, with members of Britten Sinfonia – READ MORE
Approx. 14 min | Ensemble: flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello
Johann Sebastian Bach
Harpsichord concerto in F minor, BWV 1056
Beautiful, short concerto in a dramatic key of F minor that can be played with chamber ensemble, or scaled up to larger forces.
Approx. 10 min | Orchestra: strings
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No 5, BWV 1050
One of the most loved works from this collection, with the concertino featuring flute, violin and harpsichord – with the focus on the keyboard, especially in the flamboyant solo harpsichord cadenza to the 1st movement, showcasing the virtuosity of the player and the brilliance of the instrument.
Approx. 20 min | Concertino: harpsichord, flute, violin | Ripieno: violin, viola, cello, violone
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto in A minor, BWV 1044
Similarly to Brandenburg 5, this is a ‘triple concerto’ with the solos given to flute, violin and harpsichord. Although less known, this is possibly a more dramatic, and even more virtuosic (albeit less flashy) work, with the keyboard alluding to number 3 with the ceaseless passages of triplets. There is even Bach’s signature woven into the orchestral texture (chords forming the B-A-C-H sequence).
Approx. 22 min | Concertino: harpsichord, flute, violin | Ripieno: violin, viola, cello, violone
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in A minor, BWV 1065
This is an extravagant work with 4 harpsichords blending to create a unique sonority – particularly the slow movement where 4 keyboards simultaneously arpeggiate the same chords, but each in a different way. It is one of Bach’s transcriptions of popular Vivaldi’s concertos, full of energy and attractive rhythmic and harmonic patterns.
Approx. 10 min | Orchestra: strings
Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto No. 5 in E flat major “Emperor”
The last of Beethoven’s piano concertos in the key often described as heroic, it was written between 1809 and 1811 so it corresponds to the date of the instrument after which Pawel’s piano was made (1805). This concerto explores in full and potentially brings this instrument to its limits. The second movement is utterly sublime, one of the most charming, mystical pieces Beethoven wrote.
Approx. 40 min
Orchestra: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto no. 22 in D minor, K. 466
The first of only two piano concertos that Mozart wrote in a minor key, and D minor was used is some of his most dramatic music (Requiem, parts of Don Giovanni…). The second movement, Romanza in B flat major is exquisitely tender, with an agitated Sturm und Drang middle section. The last movement ends with a bright major section that closes the piece with a light-hearted finale.
The premiere of this work, with Mozart as a soloist himself, was met with enthusiastic reception and this concerto is as loved today and it was in 18c. Vienna. Pawel’s fortepiano is copied after one of Mozart’s favourite instruments and lends itself beautifully to this piece.
Approx. 30 min | Orchestra: flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings