Frederic Chopin (1810 – 1849)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
Garrick Ohlsson, Piano
Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra – Jerzy Maksymiuk, Conductor
Recorded 1975 – Katowice, Poland in co-production with Polish Radio & TV
———————
ONE-SENTENCE REVIEW:
If you want a great definition of classical music’s Romantic period – pop this baby in your dusty old CD player.
_____________________
NO LINER NOTES (BUT HERE’S SOME INFO ABOUT CHOPIN AND THE PIANO CONCERTOS):
FREDERIC CHOPIN (1810 – 1849)
Frédéric François Chopin (born March 1, 1810 –October 17, 1949) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading composer of his era whose “poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation.”
Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola and grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland.
A child prodigy, he completed his musical education and composed his early works in Warsaw before leaving Poland at age 20, less than a month before the outbreak of the November 1830 Uprising; at 21, he settled in Paris.
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN E MINOR, OP. 11
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, is a piano concerto written by Frédéric Chopin in 1830, when he was twenty years old. It was first performed on October 12 of that year, at the Teatr Narodowy (the National Theatre) in Warsaw, Poland, with the composer as soloist, during one of his “farewell” concerts before leaving Poland.
It was the first of Chopin’s two piano concertos to be published, and was therefore given the designation of Piano Concerto ‘No. 1’ at the time of publication, even though it was actually written immediately after the premiere of what was later published as Piano Concerto No. 2.
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 IN F MINOR, OP. 21
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, is a piano concerto composed by Frédéric Chopin in fall 1829. Chopin composed the piece before he had finished his formal education, at around 20 years of age.
It was first performed on March 17, 1830, in Warsaw, Poland, with the composer as soloist. It was the second of his piano concertos to be published (after the Piano Concerto No. 1), and so was designated as ‘No. 2,’ even though it was written first.
From May 2024, a score from the collection of the National Library of Poland, where a piano part is in Chopin’s own hand, is presented at a permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth.
_______________________
TRACK LISTING :
Frederic Chopin (1810 – 1849)
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN E MINOR, OP. 11
- i. Allegro maestoso risoluto [19:58]
- II. Romance (Larghetto) [9:56]
- III. Rondo (Vivace)
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 IN F MINOR, OP. 21
- I. Maestoso [13:53]
- II. Larghetto [9:30]
- III. Allegro vivace [8:18]
FINAL THOUGHT:
Beautiful performance by International Chopin Contest winner Garrick Ohlsson (in 19709) and the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra proving Chopin a gifted writer of the Piano Concerto form, but I’m glad he stopped at two so he could devote the rest of his time to all that glorious solo music.
Emily Sachs – President – Manka Music Group (A division of Manka Bros. Studios – The World’s Largest Media Company