Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 HD

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840 -- November 6, 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. His wide ranging output includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental and chamber music and songs. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, his last three numbered symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin. The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875.[1] It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. It is considered one of the most popular of Tchaikovsky's works and among the best known of all piano concerti. Tchaikovsky is more often remembered for his symphonic works than for his works for piano, but in the first piano concerto, he blends both orchestra and solo instrument in an ensemble that works in tandem: in between bursts of virtuosic display, the piano takes the backseat to let the orchestra develop expressive themes. The majestic introduction exemplifies how powerful the effect can be when orchestra and piano engage as equals. The concerto follows the traditional form of three movements: 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso -- Allegro con spirito (B flat minor → B flat major) 2. Andantino semplice -- Prestissimo (D flat major) 3. Allegro con fuoco (B flat minor → B flat major)