The essence of Romanticism in music, which also represents a nucleous of a general Romantic outlook and attitude, the Romantic creative imagination, and the characteristically open style of the Romantic narrative and structural form, can be found in these concertos, in particular the more expansive and representational, reveal a certain 'restlessness of heart', a feeling of anxiety and an emotional dynamism inherent to the music of the times; as well as a dualistic manner in which the composers of the Romantic age perceived the music: on the one hand strongly self-sufficient in matters od form and expression, on the other deficient in a purist sense. Consequently 'on a par' with other art forms, the concerto repertory strives to be poetic, picturesque and theatrical; a if yearning to be a narrative discussion, dialogue or a dramatic, lyrical as well as humorous theatrical scene, while simultaneously retainin its character of 'display' virtuosity. Against a background of the numerous lesser works of the concerto genre which formed the staple 'musical diet' of 19th century audiences, a few Piano Concertos stand out as masterpieces, that for the last century and a half have regularly attracted successive generations of performers and have maintained their status, in the concertos by Chopin, the one by Schumann, the two by Liszt, the two by Brahms, the one by Tchaikovsky and to a certain extent the early 20th Century concertos of Rachmaninov. Moreover, Romanticism seen in the concerto repertory emerged from an already rich tradition, namely the concertos of Mozart, and found a suitably fertile soil for propagation in the 'brillante' style of early 19th Century popular music.

The principal characteristic of the Romantic concerto in the full bloom of its stylistic expression, is the creative interpretation of the performance. All Romantic concertos - from Chopin and Schumann to Liszt, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov - are written with a somewhat theatrical intention and the role of the performer in mind. They are composed for outstanding artists and towering personalities capable of breathing life into the music and realising every detail of the vast armony of expression typical of the genre though in keeping, wills the composers intentions, the soloist-pianist, conductor and orchestral musicians are each assigned a part to play that is revealed in the score and detailed in the notation, enabling each to fully enact the musical drama of a concert performance. As pointled observed by Harnoncourt, the notational format of the 19th Century is not only to provide a guide to the structure, scheme and form of a composition, but above all to serve the musician in his performance of the work. Like the script of theatrical play, the score of a Romantic concerto contains a list of characters and instructions. However, one of the paradoxes and dialectic questions of Romantic music is that, the more articulate and detailed the notation in the score of the cocnerto, the more inspired is the creative role of the performer. Perhaps this occurs because the Romantic music of 19th Century is to large extent underpinned by the spirit of improvisation (musical and poetic) which played such a significant role in the culture of the period; and in considering the general perception of music in the Romantic age, two equally prominent tendencies interact and vie with each other. On the one hand - a predilection for structural form and its diversity of stylistic expression, and on the other - a longing for freedom from formal restraint and a yearning for spontaneity. Piano and poetry, the force of music and the power of spoken verse - are two paramount features of Romantic improvisation. ...

Bohdan Pociej

Translated by Anna Kasprzyk

Martha Argerich knows Prokofiev's music much better than the contents of her handbag. She plays his concertos with incredible ease, at any time of the day and in any physical or psychological condition; at dawn or dusk, without having slept or practised for a few weeks. In fact, she calls Prokofiev's Third her "chloroform concerto", although she still gets nervous before performing it.

As I write these lines, Martha Argerich tells me, less than a week before a concert in Rome with Myung-Whun Chung and the Santa Cecilia orchestra, that she is "completely unprepared" for her performance of the Prokofiev Third. She hasn't touched the keyboard for more than a month yet, deep down, she knows that she will pull it off and probably give a superb performance of the concerto. "I really don't know why, but Prokofiev comes easily to me", says the Argentinian pianist, "I understand his sensitivity, his sense of humour". ...

Annie Dutoit, 1998

DL Beethoven & Haydn Concertos

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DL Beethoven Concertos

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