Piano Concerto in G Minor

Dvořák’s first effort at a large-scale concerto is a grand and impassioned, if not entirely successful, homage to the Classical masters. Though the Czech composer was a fine pianist, he was not a virtuoso soloist, and later acknowledged the work’s structural deficiencies. “I see I am unable to write a concerto for a virtuoso,” Dvořák wrote. “I must think of other things.” In much of the work, the pianist does not battle the orchestra but rather is merged into the orchestral fabric, and the solo writing is often ungainly and imbalanced. Yet there are many positive features. The first movement points to the influence of Brahms, with a noble lyricism and a stormy cadenza. The second movement is simple and eloquent, suggesting the dreamy atmosphere of Mozart’s slow movements, while the rondo finale evokes a boisterous Slavonic folk dance, with each of its three themes containing strong rhythmic profiles. Years after Czech pianist Karel Slavkovsky gave the 1878 premiere, his countryman Vilém Kurz extensively revised the solo part; this soon became the most frequently played version.