Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1, Four Piano Pieces Op. 119

Featuring

Joseph Moog
Nicholas Milton
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
Johannes Brahms

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Cultural Impact

Despite its eventual status, the D minor Piano Concerto only became one of the most popular concertos in the 1950s, having been recorded just five times during the entire shellac era.

Historical Context

The D minor Piano Concerto's origins are directly linked to Robert Schumann's suicide attempt in 1854, which prompted Brahms to compose tormented music for two pianos.

Composition History

Brahms initially conceived the D minor Piano Concerto as a three-movement sonata, then a four-movement symphony, before a dream led him to transform it into a piano concerto.

Composer Biography

Brahms's late piano works, Opp. 118 and 119, were inspired in part by the playing of the young Hungarian pianist Ilona Eibenschütz, who was the first to hear him play them.

Compositional Technique

The tumultuous first movement of Brahms's D minor Piano Concerto is one of the longest in the entire concerto repertoire, featuring a lengthy orchestral introduction before the soloist's entry.

Composition History

Brahms's D minor Piano Concerto, his first great orchestral work, had a long gestation period, taking from 1854 to 1859 to premiere.

Critical Reception

The D minor Piano Concerto was initially met with a mixed reception, being "politely received" in Hanover but "hissed" in Leipzig, where critics found it too difficult and tragic.