Piano Prélude
Sergei Rachmaninov, Concerto Piano in C minor, No.2, op.18
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto, Piano in G major , No.17, K.453
Johannes Brahms, Concerto, Piano in B-flat major, No.2, op. 83
When critics panned his Symphony No. 1, it sent Sergei Rachmaninoff into a deep depression. However, hypnotherapy treatment proved effective and before long Rachmaninoff began to compose once more. This resulted in his Piano Concerto No. 2, a composition he dedicated to the psychiatrist who had treated him.
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, composed in 1784, was a precursor to the Romantic era. Horns are put to great use in solo roles as Mozart liberated himself from the old forms. Long orchestral passages heralded the symphonic piano concerto genre. A student of Mozart, Barbara Ployer, performed Piano Concerto No. 17 for the first time in her parental home in the Döbling district of Vienna.
Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 has four movements rather than the typical three. The second movement is the odd one out: a tumultuous scherzo in ¾ time. Brahms took a good three years to successfully complete the composition of this piano concerto. The premiere in Budapest – with Brahms at the piano – was a spectacular success.
David Niemann, conductor
Salih Can Gevrek, piano
Liepins Daumans, piano
Jonathan Fournel, piano
