Composed 1903; 9 minutes

The Allegro de concierto (Concert Allegro) is among Granados’s most performed and challenging compositions, a display piece and often a rite of passage undertaken by young pianists with both technique and musicality to burn. As the test piece for the 1903 graduating class at the Madrid Conservatory, the Allegro de concierto was itself commissioned via a competition for composers. Twenty four entered, Granados was announced as winner, while the younger Manuel de Falla won an honorable mention. Lisztian bravura and virtuoso figuration pepper the score, but Granados carefully moderates exuberant display with reflective moments where we catch glimpses of the Spanish soul that lies behind the bravado. A central episode marked andante spianato, likely as a nod to Chopin, combines an element drawn from the opening passagework with a subsequent calmer, molto espressivo melody, the two main building blocks of this brilliant concert opener.