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Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concertos In early March 1830, the private premiere of Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor Op.21 took place at his parents’ house in Warsaw. The press were jubilant in their reaction, writing: ‘He surpasses all pianists – he is a Paganini of the piano, and his compositions are sublime and full of invention’. It was to be a few years before this assessment of his works was generally shared. Certainly Chopin’s pianistic skills were admired, and his piano compositions were highly valued, but there was criticism of his concertos for piano and orchestra. Previously, a concerto had been a sort of musical ‘competition’ between the orchestra and a small instrumental group or a solo instrument. But in the virtuosic instrumental concertos of the 19th century, the element of competition faded in importance. The main emphasis was on the solo part. Thus the positioning of the orchestra at the first performance of a piano concerto in a Viennese theatre was not particularly unusual; Chopin was alone on the stage at the piano, while the musicians played in the orchestra pit. Some composers were of the opinion that, although Chopin could certainly write well for the piano, his orchestral writing left some room for improvement. It was not until the 20th century that the injustice of comparing Chopin’s piano concertos to those of Mozart, Beethoven or even Schumann was recognised. Although they were written in his earlier years, they already contained his unmistakeable style, which manifests itself in passionate expression and a very fine feeling for the tonal colours of the piano. As well as this, Chopin used harmonies that pointed far ahead into the future, and created a sound with an oscillating and transcendental effect. Chopin composed his Piano Concerto in F minor in the years 1829–30. It was created under the influence of his first great love, so much so that Arnold Schering described the slow central movement as ‘the most soulful outpouring of love in the whole of musical literature’. The first movement is shaped by two subjects, one
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rhythmic and the other more lyrical, both embedded in runs and shimmering passagework. The third movement is suffused with the melody of a Polish folk dance, a kujawiak with a lyrical character and irregular accents, which is whipped up into a whirling, ecstatic finale. Before the work appeared in print, the Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor Op.11 had already been published in 1833 as Chopin’s ‘first’ piano concerto. It was actually written a little later than the Piano Concerto in F minor, in the summer of 1830. The first performance took place in Warsaw on 11 October 1830, and was Chopin’s last public appearance before leaving his homeland at the beginning of November. The concerto is dedicated to the piano virtuoso Friedrich Kalkbrenner, which explains why the virtuosic element is more strongly emphasised here. Chopin described the second movement of the piece in a letter to his friend Tytus Wojciechowski: ‘It is more romantic, peaceful, melancholic; it is intended to evoke the impression of looking back lovingly on a place that causes thousands of pleasant memories to rise to the surface. It is like being lost in reverie on a beautiful moonlit summer’s night.’ The concerto again closes with references to a Polish folk dance. The rhythm of the krakowiak dominates the third movement, a fiery, rapid skipping dance with much syncopation, which at the end climaxes in an unbridled delirium of dance. 훿 Stefan Lipka
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Stanisław Skrowaczewski: A note from the conductor While Chopin’s piano music, so unique in its beauty, harmony, subtlety, form and technical structure, is enjoyed by many outstanding performers, his orchestral works, in particular the two piano concertos, do not receive the attention of conductors that they deserve. The majority of conductors seem somehow to neglect the proper preparation of the orchestra. Even some well-known conductors have made cuts in the tutti openings of both concertos, which is an artistic crime, and truly a shame! Why would they do this? I think the main reason is most likely because Chopin never completed a full orchestral score, only indicating solo instruments or orchestral sections on the part of an accompanying second piano. The full score from which we now play was constructed by Breitkopf & Härtel in an edition of 1880, based on autographs, some copies and orchestral parts from the 19th century. Thus grew the legend that the instrumentation, which is not the original, is weak and poorly written. In my opinion, however, while the instrumentation may not be particularly remarkable, it is normal for this era, and certainly not a question of poor writing. When properly rehearsed, the sound of the orchestra can be beautiful. What’s more, these orchestral tutti contain the most gorgeous music, which, as in the concertos of Beethoven or Mozart, is indispensable for the entire structure of a sonata-form movement. It is true that this score demands special care from the conductor. To obtain a well-balanced orchestral sound, the conductor should strive to: 1. Achieve a good balance between instruments and sections (here a correction of dynamics and even some instrumental retouching may be of use, especially in the horns);
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2. Employ proper articulation, note lengths and phrasing, all corresponding to the changeable character of the music, with proper bowing in the strings and special attention paid to the way of playing the melodic semiquavers in the violins (as in Schumann’s symphonies); 3. Pay special attention to the sound and dynamics of the bass trombone, which should reinforce the cellos and basses by blending with the strings (this compares well with scores by contemporaries of Chopin, such as Weber, Mendelssohn or Schumann); 4. Achieve an accompaniment to the soloist that is not timid or hidden but relatively full-bodied, giving a good harmonic base for the player; the thematic solos in woodwinds should be prominent and clearly audible. To me, it seems evident that the special structure in piano writing Chopin employs in these concertos indicates that he required the full sound of the orchestra, not to simply support the piano but to act as an almost equal partner.
Recording: 30 September 2003, Großer Sendesaal des SR, Saarbrücken, Germany Executive producer: Dieter Oehms Recording producer: Thomas Raisig Sound engineer: Erich Heigold 2004 Musikproduktion Dieter Oehms GmbH 훿 2014 Brilliant Classics Licensed from Oehms Classics
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More Piano Music on Brilliant Classics
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The Best of Chopin 94278 3CD
Faure: Complete Piano Quartets & Quintets 94859 2CD
Smetana: Piano Music 94788
Beethoven: Complete Piano Music Concertos 94856 3CD
Schumann: Piano Music 94436
Wagner: Complete Piano Music 94450 2CD
Saint-SaĂŤns: Complete Piano Concertos 94944 2CD
Schubert: Piano Music 94806 4CD
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