Pianokonsert nr 1

Sergei Rachmaninov was one of the foremost pianists of the early twentieth century and in his four piano concertos he subjects the soloist to an extreme test of technique and stamina. A mere 18 years of age when be wrote Piano Concerto No. 1, Rachmaninov heavily revised the work 26 years later. The first has come to be overshadowed by his second and third piano concertos, which for a variety of reasons are more celebrated. The third has even played a leading role in an Oscar-winning film, Scott Hicks’ Shine, a biographical drama based on the life of the highly talented but eccentric pianist David Helfgott. And yet, Piano Concerto No. 1 is eminently worthy of consideration beside these two monumental works.

The first movement is vibrant and dramatic, the pianist entering with a flourish followed by a romantic theme on the strings that the piano takes up. The second slower movement is the shortest of the three, the piano lost in a reverie of nostalgic recollections, both sorrowful and joyful. Perhaps we are listening to a teenage composers first experience of love? The final movement oscillates between bittersweet darkness and whirling, infernal dance.