Piano Concerto (Paderewski)

The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17, is the only piano concerto written by the Polish composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski. It was written in the composer's twenties, with the first movement dating back to 1882,^[1] although the majority of the work was composed in 1888 and scored in 1889. After its completion, the composer showed the concerto to his friend Saint-Saëns, who admired it, and especially the andante movement.^[2] It premiered the same year in Vienna, achieving great success, where it was conducted by Hans Richter.

Piano Concerto
by Ignacy Jan Paderewski
The composer around 1892
Key	A minor
Opus	17
Period	Romantic
Composed	1888 (1888)
Movements	3
Premiere
Date	20 January 1889 (1889-01-20)
Location	Vienna

The work was dedicated to Paderewski's teacher^[3] Theodor Leschetizky.

Composition

The concerto is scored for solo piano, piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings.

It is divided into three movements:

1. Allegro
2. Romanze. Andante
3. Finale. Allegro molto vivace (A major)

The piano concerto usually lasts from 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the interpretation.

Notable recordings

• Earl Wild in 1971 with Arthur Fiedler and the London Symphony Orchestra
• Piers Lane in 1991 with Jerzy Maksymiuk and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
• Janina Fialkowska in 1999 with Antoni Wit and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
• Ian Hobson in 2002 with Jerzy Maksymiuk and Sinfonia Varsovia.
• Dang Thai Son in 2018 with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Philharmonia Orchestra.
• Claire Huangci in 2019 with Shi-Yeon Sung and Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern.