Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor (1869) ranks among
the most popular of such compositions, rich in melodies,
drama, and rhythmic excitement. Grieg took his model
from Robert Schumann’s concerto in the same key, with
its use of repetitive phraseology. The first movement, Allegro molto moderato, basks in melodic lines that pass
between the piano and the orchestra. The solo cadenza is notable for its dramatic complexity. The D-flat Adagio is built on brief, almost vaporous phrases that appear in the manner of a Japanese landscape painting. The last movement, Allegro moderato molto e marcato, has a militant mood as it opens, the rhythms complex and folkish; its
middle section, introduced by the flute, however, provides a wonderful lyric sense of Grieg’s beloved Norway. The
last page is heroically virtuosic, with ascending, modal scales and repeated Gs. One must always acknowledge the close agreement of the soloist and the conductor in this demanding work.
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor (1901) came about after a psychological crisis had crippled his confidence and creativity. This piece, however, restored
his faith in himself and remains among the most cherished
concertos in the repertory. The first mvmt, Moderato,
opens with a series of solo chords that crescendo like Russian bells, then joined in pulsating gestures from the
orchestra. The melodic exposition moves from F Minor to
the home key C Minor, while the pianist must execute demanding spans and runs that suited Rachmaninoff’s own,
huge hands. The solemn Adagio moves from C Minor to E
Major, its bi-partite structure indebted to Chopin’s F Minor
Concerto. The music often sounds like a soothing, Chopin
nocturne. The last movement, Allegro scherzando, opens
with bravura and demanding runs and octaves; but the
composer has saved his “big melody” for this movement, a highly songful tune in C Major that he offers twice, the second
time in massive sonorities, before the brilliant dash to the coda.
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