Piano Concerto No. 2 (Brahms)
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The Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, op. 83 by Johannes Brahms, is separated by a gap of 22 years from his Piano Concerto No. 1. Brahms began work on it in 1878 and completed the piece in 1881 while in Pressbaum near Vienna.
The piece is in four movements, rather than the three typical of concertos in the classical period:
- Allegro non troppo
- Allegro appassionato
- Andante
- Allegretto grazioso
A typical performance lasts around 50 minutes. At the time of its composition it was notably longer than most other concertos.
Despite its ambitious scale, when Brahms sent a copy of the completed score to his friend, the surgeon and violinist Theodore Billroth (to whom Brahms had dedicated his first two string quartets), he described the concerto as "some little piano pieces". In another incident, he called the second movement of this work a "tiny wisp of a scherzo", although it is robust music that lasts for ten minutes; similarly, he had written to his publisher of the generally cheerful Symphony No. 2 (1877) "the score is so sad you won't be able to bear it", also saying the sheet music should be printed with a funeral black border.
The piece was given its public premiere in Budapest on November 9, 1881 with Brahms himself playing the solo part. Unlike the Piano Concerto No. 1, which was rather coolly received, the Piano Concerto No. 2 was a great success, and Brahms went on to play the piece in a number of successful concerts in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, some conducted by Hans von Bülow.
[edit] External links
- BBC Radio 3's Discovering Music (includes a link to an .ram file discussing the piece)
- Brahms' Orchestra Works (free music score of this composition available. In public domain.)
