Concerto No. 1 in E minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 11 
    I. Allegro maestoso
    II. Romanze 
    III. Rondo

Composed 1830; Duration: 39 minutes

First BPO Performance: December 13, 1938 (Rosina Lhévinne, piano; Franco Autori, conductor)

Last BPO Performance: April 24-25, 2015 (Yoonie Han, piano; JoAnn Falletta, conductor)

When Chopin turned 21, he made Paris his home. He rarely performed in public, opting instead to float about artistic circles, displaying his delicate virtuosity in private salons. His mystique only fueled the high demand from prospective affluent students, while publishers clamored to print his latest set of etudes, nocturnes, or preludes. His mazurkas and polonaises introduced his Polish nationalism to the repertoire, and in total, he composed hundreds of works for the keyboard, but only two included orchestra.

Before he was a celebrity in Paris, Chopin was a child prodigy. The Polish elite were set on keeping him and his gifts for themselves, and denied him a routine travel grant that would allow him to flourish in one of Europe’s capitals. He honed his skills at the Warsaw Conservatory and debuted two new concertos months apart before departing for Paris.

His two concertos were composed in his final years in Warsaw, but the published numbering is opposite their chronology. The first came in 1829 as he was finishing school, and was later published as his second piano concerto. The work published as Piano Concerto No. 1 was premiered in Warsaw by the 20-year-old Chopin during a farewell concert in October 1830, and was repeated less than two weeks later upon his arrival in Paris. 

The extensive three-theme introduction by the orchestra thoroughly demonstrates his newfound academic acumen and his appreciation for the classical canon. When the piano finally enters, Chopin inserts himself into the narrative with powerful strikes and fluid runs, followed by a gently virtuosic presentation of the melodies as the orchestra takes a back seat. 

Muted strings set the mood for his enchanting Romanze that alludes to his later nocturnes. He wrote about the movement, “It is intended to convey the impression one receives when the eye rests on a beloved landscape that calls up in one’s soul beautiful memories.” The finale is an early example of Chopin’s use of Polish folk idioms, as riveting syncopated dance rhythms are delivered with dazzling technique.