Well, here is confirmation of RVW's versatility.

Tom Davey wrote:

>And a work that has always struck me as more note spinning than not is
>the suspiciously un-RVW-ish piano concerto -- the worst piano concerto
>that Bartok never wrote.

and Jeff Dunn wrote:

>I confess to being a devotee of the piano concerto form, but the VW
>concerto is up there as one of the greats in my opinion, an opinion
>I have held for some thirty five years now.

RVW's music is fascinating in part because of his two, antipodean
Personalities: the gorgeous Lark Ascending, 3rd and 5th symphonies,
Dives and Laz, etc., on the one hand; versus the mordant piano concerto,
fourth symphony, concerto grosso, etc.  on the other.  [In fact, the piano
concerto contains the first RVW in its beautiful slow movement, surrounded
by the other RVW in the outer movements.].  I think both are wonderful.
The only other composers I can think of who manage this sort of thing
are George Rochberg and Sir Max, both of whom have distinctive atonal
and tonal personae.  Can anyone else think of other composers who do
schizophrenia so well?

Jon Gallant
Department of Gnome Sciences
University of Washington