John Williams on origins of his Piano Concerto, inspired by three greats

Emanuel Ax celebrates the 50th anniversary of his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut by performing the Midwest premiere of John Williams’ Piano Concerto on Aug. 1 at Ravinia. The work, written for Ax, had its debut in 2025, with Ax joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Festival.

Williams’ concerto, which has been called “an astounding miracle of new music,” was inspired by three jazz piano icons: Art Tatum, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson.

Despite his invocation of the three legends for each movement of the score, Williams insists the work “Is not a jazz concerto in any way,” he told his biographer Tim Grieving. “I wouldn’t want that. First of all, I don’t think I could do it, effectively. As far as I know, there isn’t one, which is a very interesting thing to think about.”

For his part, Ax has said of the concerto: “I can’t say I was surprised by anything in particular, but the whole thing was a discovery, you know, and it was wonderful. And it was wonderful to be able to spend time with this incredible man. He’s, aside from his genius, one could say, he’s also the warmest, kindest, most generous person one can imagine, and it’s a privilege to spend time with someone like that.”

In his program note, Williams outlined his challenges: “Composing a piano concerto was, for me, particularly challenging, given the enormous canon of rich and diverse piano and orchestral masterworks created over the past centuries. Although my effort here is not a jazz piece per se, much of the impetus to write it down has been my memory of the particular ’sound’ produced by three legendary jazz pianists. Past this simple concept, the music is in no way an attempt to serve as a portrait of each of these artists, but merely to suggest and remember the unique artistic personalities of three men who greatly inspired me, along with so many other lovers of the piano around the world.

“Firstly, Art Tatum. When I was 15 or 16 years old, I remember a scene in a Los Angeles jazz club, which welcomed underaged patrons, providing they didn’t drink. I saw a large man who was clearly not sighted being carefully guided to his place at the piano. The lights were turned down so as not to offend his eyes. He seemed to be huge. His piano also seemed enormous … not with the usual 88 keys, but seemingly with 12 additional keys at either end of the keyboard, accommodating his massive reach. The size of his sound was awesome and reminded one of Rachmaninov. He played three chords, listened, and played them again with an added note or two. He seemed satisfied and then began with a brief cadenza which served as his warm-up. The avalanche of gems that followed could hardly be imagined.

“Secondly, Bill Evans. The second movement begins with a viola solo. Why? This may be because Bill was a quiet and very ethereal man, who, when he approached the piano, always seemed to be less interested in playing than listening to what the piano may have to tell us. In this work, his piano eventually joins the viola, supporting Bill’s ethereal mood while further investigations ensue.

“Thirdly, Oscar Peterson emerges, looking like an NFL wide receiver on his day off. After a brief salutation from the timpani, he begins with a bristling and famous bebop passage composed by whom we do not know but often attributed to Oscar and to the late Phineas Newborn, who also possessed a similar technical prowess. It serves as a reminder of Oscar’s athletic affinity, which he always displayed with taste and the most graceful control. 

"I’ve always so greatly admired pianist Emanuel Ax, who is universally celebrated for his technical brilliance, refined elegance and great artistic sensibilities. He is also one of the most gracious gentlemen I’ve had the privilege to know.

“When I first met Manny years ago, I asked him if in his travels he ever encountered a bad piano. He replied simply, ‘All pianos are my friends.’ I had only mentioned to a few friends and associates that I might be interested in writing a work for piano and orchestra. You can imagine my surprise and delight when Manny called me to say, ‘If you write it, I will play it!’ I could not have been more grateful and honored.”

Also on this program, Chief Conductor Marin Alsop leads the CSO in John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances.