Between the Piano and the Orchestra

It can be jokingly said that Chopin wrote two and a half concertos. He finished the first two before leaving Poland, and the third one remained forever in the form of a draft.

Moreover, only the first part of the third concerto was planned. The other two were either never created or remained in the composer's mind.

Chopin wrote his both concertos in the brilliant style, which was a triumph at that time. It was characterized by a brilliant virtuosity of the soloist's technical performance, but also a tendency to singing, sometimes with very romantic themes. 

Despite their similarity to concertos by Hummel, Kalkbrenner or Dobrzyński, Chopin's works are characterized by depth and freshness, praised by critics. 

After the lyrical confession of affection –most likely for Konstancja Gładkowska– comes the third movement, in which Chopin surprises the audience with brilliant references to Polish folklore. 

The composer himself suggests that it should be played semplice ma graziosamente, i.e. with simplicity and charm at the same time.

Chopin decided to open the Concerto in E minor, Op. 11 - as in the previous case - with a monumental introduction followed by a nostalgic theme, the piece resounds with polonaise and nocturne echoes. 

While the twenty-year-old author quickly wrote the first two parts at the beginning of 1830, he found the third part difficult. The author himself said about the middle part of the concerto: it is like musing in a beautiful time of spring, but by the moon.

Listening to both concertos, it is hard to believe they were a work of a nineteen-year-old and a twenty-year-old! Before leaving Poland, Fryderyk managed to present them to the national audience at the Grand Theater.

He proudly reported to his friend: I was successful at yesterday's concert. The hall was full! Although, interestingly, Chopin rather avoided public appearances...