Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 abandons the traditional fast-slow-fast structure and uses a novel tempo gradation technique, with movements ascending from Andante sostenuto to Allegro scherzando and then to Presto.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Edvard Grieg, the composer of the Piano Concerto in A minor, was inspired by the folk music of his Norwegian homeland.
Composition History
Franz Liszt, a renowned composer and pianist, played Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor note-perfectly at sight and encouraged Grieg to continue his path.
Performer Biography
Vadym Kholodenko, the pianist on this recording, won the gold medal at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Recording & Production
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the conductor, is also the founder and artistic director of Caminos del Inka, a non-profit dedicated to promoting music of the Americas.
Composition History
Camille Saint-Saëns, the composer of the Piano Concerto No. 2, wrote the entire concerto in just 17 days for a performance with Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein.
Performer Biography
Vadym Kholodenko composed his own cadenza for Mozart's Concerto No. 21 while on a plane from Moscow to the Van Cliburn Competition.
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