Piano Concerto (Rimsky-Korsakov)

Structure#

The concerto is written in one continuous movement with three contrasting sections: #Moderato—Allegretto quasi polacca #Andante mosso #Allegro

Influence and neglect#

The concerto’s lyricism, bravura passages and inventive use of folk song placed it firmly in the Russian nationalist camp. It influenced several other Russian composers, including Glazunov, Arensky and, especially in his First Piano Concerto, Rachmaninoff. The work is seldom heard in the West, however, due largely to its brevity (an average performance lasts approximately 18 minutes).

Sources#

• Garden, Edward, Liner notes for Hyperion CDA66640, Balakirev & Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concertos (London: Hyperion Records Inc., 1993).
• Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai, My Musical Life.
• Soifertis, Evgeny, Liner notes for Hyperion CDA67511, Nápravník: Concerto Symphonique, Fantasie Russe; Blumenfeld: Allegro (London: Hyperion Records Limited, 2005).
• Swan, Alfred J. Russian Music and Its Sources in Chant and Folk-Song. John Baker LTD: London, 1973. p125.