Uploaded December 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Frederic CHOPIN: Sonata no.2 - Krystian ZIMERMAN
Photos: polish countryside
The sonata comprises four movements:
Grave – Doppio movimento (B♭ minor – B♭ major)
Scherzo (E♭ minor with a trio and ending both in G♭ major)
Marche funèbre: Lento (B♭ minor with a trio in D♭ major)
Finale: Presto (B♭ minor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piano Sonata No. 2
Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, is a piano sonata in four movements. Chopin completed the work while living in George Sand's manor in Nohant, some 250 km (160 mi) south of Paris, a year before it was published in 1840. The first of the composer's three mature sonatas (the others being the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 and the Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, Op. 65), the work is considered to be one of the greatest piano sonatas of the literature.
The third movement of the Piano Sonata No. 2 is Chopin's famous funeral march (French: Marche funèbre) which was composed at least two years before the remainder of the work and has remained, by itself, one of Chopin’s most popular compositions. The Piano Sonata No. 2 carries allusions and reminiscences of music by Bach and by Beethoven; Beethoven's twelfth piano sonata also has a funeral march as its third movement. A typical performance of Chopin's second sonata lasts between 21 and 25 minutes, depending on whether the repetition of the first movement's exposition is observed. While the Piano Sonata No. 2 gained instant popularity with the public, critical reception was initially more doubtful. Robert Schumann, among other critics, argued that the work was structurally inferior and that Chopin "could not quite handle sonata form", a criticism that did not withstand time. The work has been recorded by numerous pianists and is regularly programmed in concerts and piano competitions. The Marche funèbre exists in countless arrangements and is performed at funerals all over the world (including Chopin's own funeral), having become an archetypal evocation of death.
Frederic CHOPIN: Sonata no.2 - Krystian ZIMERMAN
Photos: polish countryside
The sonata comprises four movements:
Grave – Doppio movimento (B♭ minor – B♭ major)
Scherzo (E♭ minor with a trio and ending both in G♭ major)
Marche funèbre: Lento (B♭ minor with a trio in D♭ major)
Finale: Presto (B♭ minor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piano Sonata No. 2
Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, is a piano sonata in four movements. Chopin completed the work while living in George Sand's manor in Nohant, some 250 km (160 mi) south of Paris, a year before it was published in 1840. The first of the composer's three mature sonatas (the others being the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 and the Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, Op. 65), the work is considered to be one of the greatest piano sonatas of the literature.
The third movement of the Piano Sonata No. 2 is Chopin's famous funeral march (French: Marche funèbre) which was composed at least two years before the remainder of the work and has remained, by itself, one of Chopin’s most popular compositions. The Piano Sonata No. 2 carries allusions and reminiscences of music by Bach and by Beethoven; Beethoven's twelfth piano sonata also has a funeral march as its third movement. A typical performance of Chopin's second sonata lasts between 21 and 25 minutes, depending on whether the repetition of the first movement's exposition is observed. While the Piano Sonata No. 2 gained instant popularity with the public, critical reception was initially more doubtful. Robert Schumann, among other critics, argued that the work was structurally inferior and that Chopin "could not quite handle sonata form", a criticism that did not withstand time. The work has been recorded by numerous pianists and is regularly programmed in concerts and piano competitions. The Marche funèbre exists in countless arrangements and is performed at funerals all over the world (including Chopin's own funeral), having become an archetypal evocation of death.

![P. TCHAIKOVSKY: PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 - R.MUTI,A.GAVRILOV
P. TCHAIKOVSKY: PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 - Riccardo MUTI;Andrei GAVRILOV
Photos: RUSSIA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23, was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875.[1] It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovskys desired pianist. Rubinstein later withdrew his accusations and became a fervent champion of the work. It is one of the most popular of Tchaikovskys compositions and among the best known of all piano concerti.
Structure
The concerto follows the traditional form of three movements:
Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito (B♭ minor – B♭ major)
Andantino semplice – Prestissimo – Tempo I (D♭ major)
Allegro con fuoco – Molto meno mosso – Allegro vivo (B♭ minor – B♭ major) P. TCHAIKOVSKY: PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 - R.MUTI,A.GAVRILOV](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/igimIFGD4FM/mqdefault.jpg)


![Frederic CHOPIN: SCHERZO NO.1 op.20 - Krzysztof Jablonski
Frederic CHOPIN: SCHERZO NO.1 op.20
Polish pianist Krzysztof Jablonski plays Chopin Scherzo No.1, Op.20 in b minor
Scherzo No. 1 (Chopin)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20, is a composition for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1831 and 1832 and dedicated to Thomas Albrecht. The piece begins with the tempo marking Presto con fuoco. The piece is dark, dramatic, and lively. It is complex and considered to be one of Chopins more difficult works.
Structure
This first Scherzo takes A-B-A-Coda form and begins with two chords in fortissimo. At tremendous speed, a series of dramatic outbursts in the B minor tonic follows. Near the center of the piece, the music leads into a slower section in B major; finally one hears a tangible melody in the middle register, surrounded by accompaniment in both the left and upper right hands. Chopin quotes here from an old Polish Christmas song (Lulajże Jezuniu); the tempo in this section is marked Molto più lento. The B major area dissolves as the harmony mysteriously changes character via secondary dominant. The two chords from the beginning reappear, superimposed over vestiges of the middle section. Then the beginning presto repeats itself in the familiar minor tonic.
The lead-in to the dramatic, virtuosic coda is similar to the approach toward the Molto più lento, but slightly different (as it is with Chopins Second and Third Scherzi). This final section incorporates dizzying arpeggiated flights up and down almost the entire keyboard, suspended by a climactic series of nine ten-note chords (E♯ diminished seventh (with diminished third), augmented sixth chord in root position, secondary leading-tone chord of tonic B). After the resolution and a rapid chromatic ascent over four octaves in both hands, the piece comes to a triumphant conclusion via a bold minor plagal cadence.
History
This piece was written in 1831, during the November Uprising against the Russian Empire. A friend of Chopins, Thomas Albrecht, to whom it was dedicated, convinced him to stay in Vienna, away from his family in Poland, to build his musical career. During this time he only played one concert, where he performed his concerto in E minor. Because of the struggle and the war, his compositions changed from pieces of a brilliant style to works in a new, darker tonality. Chopin composed this piece and several of the Opus 10 etudes around the same time.
Scherzo is joke in Italian, and Robert Schumann commented on the works apparent disregard for its title: How is gravity to clothe itself if jest goes about in dark veils? [1] It is dark, suspenseful, and full of chaos - the first clear melody is in the slow B major middle section, but returns to a chaotic murmur soon after. It is hypothesized that this portrayed Chopins feelings toward the war, or told a story about rebellion in his homeland. This may reflect Brahms sentiment with his own ironic scherzos. Frederic CHOPIN: SCHERZO NO.1 op.20 - Krzysztof Jablonski](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l00qRbGJUys/mqdefault.jpg)

![SAINT SAENS: piano concerto no.2 - G.SOKOLOV
SAINT SAENS: piano concerto no.2 - G.SOKOLOV
Photos: Mount St. Michael,France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 on 13 May the composer was the soloist and Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra.[1] 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.
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, but the first movement here is slow and the second movement has a scherzo-like quality, resulting in a form resembling a typical four-movement symphony but lacking the first movement (a form also represented by Beethovens Moonlight Sonata).
The movements in the concerto are:
I Andante sostenuto (in G minor and sonata form)
The concerto begins with a piano solo playing a long improvisational introduction in the style of a Bach fantasia. After the orchestra enters, the restless and melancholy first theme is played, again by the piano solo. Saint-Saëns drew the theme from his student Gabriel Faurés abandoned Tantum ergo motet. A brief second theme appears, followed by a middle section of increasing degrees of animato. The main theme is recapitulated fortissimo and the soloist is given a long ad libitum cadenza. The Bach-like opening motif returns in the coda.
II Allegro scherzando (in E-flat major and sonata form)
The second movement is in E-flat major and, instead of being a typical adagio, resembles a scherzo. The mercurial piano part is marked leggieramente, and the two main themes are clever and light-hearted. The energetic, delicate personality of this particular movement is characteristic of Saint-Saëns musical wit, most famously observable in Le Carnaval des Animaux.
III Presto (in G minor and sonata form)
The concerto concludes by returning to G minor. Like the preceding movement, it moves quickly; this time the form is an extremely fast, fiery saltarella, in sonata form, featuring a strong triplet figure. At presto speed, the orchestra and soloist rush tumultuously along, gaining volume and momentum and finishing in a whirlwind of G minor arpeggios.
The concerto is scored for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, crash cymbals and strings. A performance lasts around 23 minutes. SAINT SAENS: piano concerto no.2 - G.SOKOLOV](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lQVIvKatl24/mqdefault.jpg)
![F. MENDELSSOHN: piano concertos 1&2
F. MENDELSSOHN: piano concertos 1&2
Photos: England countryside and Eilean Donan Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy[n 1] (3 February 1809 – 4 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn,[n 2] was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohns compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ music and chamber music. His best-known works include the overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Nights Dream (which includes his Wedding March), the Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony, the oratorio St. Paul, the oratorio Elijah, the overture The Hebrides, the mature Violin Concerto and the String Octet. The melody for the Christmas carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is also his. Mendelssohns Songs Without Words are his most famous solo piano compositions.
Mendelssohns grandfather was the renowned Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, but Felix was initially raised without religion. He was baptised at the age of seven, becoming a Reformed Christian. He was recognised early as a musical prodigy, but his parents were cautious and did not seek to capitalise on his talent. His sister Fanny Mendelssohn received a similar musical education and was a talented composer and pianist in her own right; some of her early songs were published under her brothers name and her Easter Sonata was for a time mistakenly attributed to him after being lost and rediscovered in the 1970s.
Mendelssohn enjoyed early success in Germany, and revived interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, notably with his performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829. He became well received in his travels throughout Europe as a composer, conductor and soloist; his ten visits to Britain – during which many of his major works were premiered – form an important part of his adult career. His essentially conservative musical tastes set him apart from more adventurous musical contemporaries such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Charles-Valentin Alkan and Hector Berlioz. The Leipzig Conservatory,[n 3] which he founded, became a bastion of this anti-radical outlook. After a long period of relative denigration due to changing musical tastes and antisemitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his creative originality has been re-evaluated. He is now among the most popular composers of the Romantic era. F. MENDELSSOHN: piano concertos 1&2](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m4i_FryBeK4/mqdefault.jpg)


