Brahms - Piano Concerto no.1 (Barenboim, Barbirolli)

Johannes Brahms (1833- 1897) Piano Concerto no.1 in d minor, op.15 (1858) I. Maestoso 00:07 II. Adagio 23:33 III.Rondo: Allegro non troppo 39:18 Daniel Barenboim, piano New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, Rec. 1967 ------------------------------------------------------------ About this masterpiece: Brahms worked on the composition for some years, as was the case with many of his works. After a prolonged gestation period, it was first performed on January 22, 1859, in Germany, when he was just 25 years old. Brahms originally conceived the work as his first major work for orchestra, what would have been his first symphony. After that proved unsatisfactory, he began molding it into a sonata for two pianos. He sought much advice from his friend Julius Otto Grimm. However, he also found that unsatisfactory. Brahms ultimately decided that he had not sufficiently mastered the nuances of orchestral colour to sustain a symphony, and instead relied on his skills as a pianist and composer for the piano to complete the work as a concerto. Brahms only retained the original material from the work's first movement (the remaining movements were discarded and two new ones were composed, yielding a work in the more usual three-movement concerto structure). The work reflects Brahms' effort to combine the piano with the orchestra as equal partners, unlike earlier classical concertos, where the orchestra effectively accompanied the pianist. Even for the young Brahms, the concerto-as-showpiece had little appeal. Instead, he enlisted both orchestra and soloist in the service of the musical ideas (technically difficult passages in the concerto are never gratuitous, but extend and develop the thematic material). Such an approach is thoroughly in keeping with Brahms' artistic temperament, but also reflects the concerto's symphonic origins and ambitions.This first concerto also demonstrates Brahms' particular interest in scoring for the timpani and the horn, both of whose parts are difficult and prominent. ------------------------------------------------------------ Information about the piece:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No._1_(Brahms) Score:https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No.1,_Op.15_(Brahms,_Johannes ------------------------------------------------------------ No copyright infringement intended.