Given the complexity and depth of expression heard in the two piano concertos of Frédéric Chopin, it's sometimes easy to forget that they are in fact youthful works, written only a short time after completing his studies at the Warsaw Conservatory. They were instrumental in cementing Chopin's reputation both as a performer and composer during his early premieres. Despite the now-customary numbering and gap in opus numbers, the two concertos were written within only about a year of each other, with Concerto No. 1 actually ...
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Given the complexity and depth of expression heard in the two piano concertos of Frédéric Chopin, it's sometimes easy to forget that they are in fact youthful works, written only a short time after completing his studies at the Warsaw Conservatory. They were instrumental in cementing Chopin's reputation both as a performer and composer during his early premieres. Despite the now-customary numbering and gap in opus numbers, the two concertos were written within only about a year of each other, with Concerto No. 1 actually written before Concerto No. 2. The present recording of pianist Lang Lang and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta does a splendid job of overcoming some of the shortcomings inherent in these works. The orchestral tuttis, often criticized as being derivative and poorly scored, are played with exceptional vigor and intensity. Mehta treats the accompanimental passages as what they truly are: vehicles to enhance the piano part; the dialogue between soloist and conductor is...
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