Graduate recital in piano

Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 93:71 in lengthThe Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Opus 11 was performed by Chopin for his farewell concert shortly after its completion in Warsaw in October of 1830. When the score was published in 1833, it included a dedication to Friedrich Kalkbrenner, one of the great keyboard virtuosi and pedagogues of the time, whom Chopin admired. The concerto relies heavily on the solo instrument, and Chopin himself played it on occasion without the assistance of an orchestra. It is the virtuosic and richly ornamented piano part that dominates, against the limited role of the orchestra. The piece has three movements adhering in general to the classical concerto model. \ud The first movement (Allegro maestoso) makes use of three different themes. The opening movement is drawn to majestic proportions, and it has frequently been described as a powerful expression of Polish national feeling. Although the opening subject is marked "maestoso," subsequent themes are very lyrical and gorgeously ornamented, even before their development in E minor/major. It is highlighted by the back and forth movement between the grandiose opening themes with that of the simpler lyrical second theme. \ud The second movement (Larghetto) is drawn from Chopin's nocturne style with the right hand singing and the left hand as accompaniment. The main melody starts out very simply and becomes more decorated with written out ornamentation. The piano part dominates this movement with very little input from the orchestra. The mood of the piece was described by Chopin himself in a letter to his friend Titus Woyciechowski as being "of a romantic, calm and partly melancholy character ... intended to convey the impression one receives when the eye rests on a beloved, on a fine moonlit night in spring."\ud The final movement (Rondo Vivace) is a cheerful rondo whose theme resembles a Polish native dance. It is a contrast to the poetic intensity of the preceding movements and to the extreme delicacy of the closing notes of the slow movement. Lengthy episodes and virtuosic passagework stresses the thematic statements that are technically challenging. Beginning in E major, the piece modulates and flows along, building up the excitement to come. Before the dashing conclusion, the piece ventures into E flat, then returning to B major. The movement ends with an exuberant coda in E major. (See more in text.