No. 24 is the first of three “NONcertos” by Richard Ayres, a form that exposes the possibilities and especially the impossibilities of the soloist. As Ayres says himself “whenever this piece is performed, the reaction is always the same: the audience laughs at first but very soon the embarrassment of the situation becomes clear. By the time it ends you can cut the tension with a knife”.

Schott Music Ltd., London