Chopin - Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 - I. Maestoso

Frédéric Chopin wrote his first piano concerto ever in 1830. It was premiered that same year, and published after his next concerto, hence it came to be known as the Piano Concerto no. 2, in F minor, even though it was the first to be composed. Written before Chopin finished his formal education, the piece betrays a certain sophistication in terms of formal development. It features an extremely dominant piano part, with the orchestra leaving all responsibility for musical development to the soloist, thus ignoring the interplay that is the mainstay of an instrumental concerto. The instrumentation of the concert has even been considered to be poor (Berlioz criticised Chopin's treatment of the orchestra). The piece bears the unmistakable influence of italian opera -a common denominator for pianists of Chopin's time- as well as the Polish mazurka.