The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns, was composed in 1868 and is probably Saint-Saëns' most popular piano concerto. It was dedicated to Madame A. de Villers née de Haber. At the première, the composer was the soloist and Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra. Saint-Saëns wrote the concerto in three weeks, and had very little time to prepare for the première; consequently, the piece was not initially successful. The capricious changes in style provoked Zygmunt Stojowski to quip that it "begins with Bach and ends with Offenbach."
Overview
The piece follows the traditional form of three movements but allows for more freedom in tempo markings. Normally, the first movement is fast-paced, while the second is slower. However, the two are reversed in this piece.
The concerto is scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, crash cymbals and strings.
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 23 by Dmitry Kabalevsky was composed in 1935 (just a few years after he joined the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory) and then revised in 1973. It is considered in some quarters to be the composer's masterpiece.
Its first performance was given in Moscow on May 12, 1936.
It consists of three movements:
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andantino semplice
III. Allegro molto
Though heavily influenced by Prokofiev, the composer nevertheless maintains his own distinctive style throughout the work: sharp, bouncy rhythms and concise thematic building blocks, a well-spun, clever lyricism when the music turns from activity to melody, a clear-cut tonal scheme that nevertheless has room for more surprises and dramatic turns than one might at first suspect, and of course utterly idiomatic keyboard writing. The work demands a player with formidable technique.
Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101 (1930–31) is the second of three piano concerti, and is notorious for being one of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire. The composer intended the second concerto to be more attractive than the first.
Composition
In approaching the composition, Bartók wanted the music to be more contrapuntal. He also wanted to simplify his music (like many of his contemporaries), but his use of counterpoint in this piece makes for an extremely complicated piece of music. This aspect had proven particularly troublesome in the First Concerto, so much so, in fact, that the New York Philharmonic, which was to have given the premiere, could not master it in time, and Bartók's Rhapsody had to be substituted into the program. The composer himself acknowledged that the piano part was arduous and later said that the concerto "is a bit difficult—one might even say very difficult!—as much for orchestra as for audience." He apparently tried to offset that with the Second Concerto, which has enjoyed both critical acclaim and worldwide popularity. Indeed, Bartók himself claimed in a 1939 article to have composed this concerto as a direct contrast to the First.
... I thought of Saint-Saëns' 'PianoConcerto No ... On upcoming international performances in such cities as Berlin, San Diego, and Paris, Lang will perform Saint-Saëns' "Piano Concerto No.
The notes poured out by the fistful in Saint-Saëns’ PianoConcerto No 2, from industrial-scale opening chords to passages where Lang’s fingers skimmed the keys apparently without effort, the melodic tumult glinting like priceless gems.
... and the virtuosic "PianoConcerto No ... Lang calls Saint-Saëns' "Piano Concerto No ... There will be concerts, too, with Lang Lang set to perform Saint-Saëns' "Piano Concerto No.
...Concerto No ... With a passage for solo piano opening his work, Saint-Saens created some structural novelties, but the first stern blast from the orchestra reminded me of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No.
After a pause for a grand piano to be moved onto the stage, James Yan, winner of the orchestra’s concerto competition, played the solo in the opening movement of Saint-Saëns’ PianoConcerto No.
The Danville News
15 Feb 2024
The Danville News
15 Feb 2024