Konzertstück for Piano and Orchestra in F minor (Weber)
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The Konzertstück in F minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 79, J. 282, was written by Carl Maria von Weber
. He started work on it in 1815, and completed it on the morning of the premiere of his opera Der Freischütz
, 18 June 1821. He premiered it a week later, on 25 June, at his farewell Berlin concert.
The Konzertstück started out as a third piano concerto
; however, because it is in one continuous movement (in four sections) and has an explicit program, Weber decided not to name it "concerto" but "Konzertstück" (Concert Piece). The score calls for flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets in pairs, bass trombone, timpani, and strings. It takes about 17 minutes to perform and a brilliant technique is called for.
On the morning of the Der Freischütz premiere, Weber played the Konzertstück through to his wife Caroline and his pupil Julius Benedict
, and told them the program:
The theme of a damsel pining for her knight, of separation and joyous return, was one that Ludwig van Beethoven
had explored in 1810 in his Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat Les Adieux
, Op. 81a.
The 12-year old Felix Mendelssohn
almost certainly attended the premiere and the piece became a staple of his concert repertoire. He first played it at age 18, on 20 February 1827, in his first public concert, at which his A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture was premiered.
Among the technical tricks in the piano-writing are three upward octave glissandi-- one in the third movement, and two in the finale.
Franz Liszt
took up the idea of a concerto in one continuous movement in his Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major
. Liszt also arranged the Konzertstück as a piece for piano solo (S. 576a).
The Konzertstück has been recorded many times and is a favourite of the piano concerto repertoire.
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
. He started work on it in 1815, and completed it on the morning of the premiere of his opera Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, 18 June 1821. He premiered it a week later, on 25 June, at his farewell Berlin concert.
The Konzertstück started out as a third piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
; however, because it is in one continuous movement (in four sections) and has an explicit program, Weber decided not to name it "concerto" but "Konzertstück" (Concert Piece). The score calls for flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets in pairs, bass trombone, timpani, and strings. It takes about 17 minutes to perform and a brilliant technique is called for.
On the morning of the Der Freischütz premiere, Weber played the Konzertstück through to his wife Caroline and his pupil Julius Benedict
Julius Benedict
Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...
, and told them the program:
- "A châtelaine sits alone on her balcony, gazing off in the distance. Her knight has gone on a Crusade to the Holy Land. Years have passed, battles have been fought; is he still alive? Will she ever see him again?"
- "Her excited imagination summons a vision of her noble husband lying wounded and forsaken on the battlefield. Could she not fly to his side and die with him? She falls back, unconscious. Then from the distance comes the sound of a trumpet. There in the forest something flashes in the sunlight as it comes nearer and nearer"
- "Knights and squires, with the Crusaders' cross and banners waving, are acclaimed by the crowd. And there her husband is among them! She sinks into his arms."
- "Happiness without end! The woods and waves sing a song of love, while a thousand voices proclaim its victory".
The theme of a damsel pining for her knight, of separation and joyous return, was one that Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
had explored in 1810 in his Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat Les Adieux
Piano Sonata No. 26 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, Op. 81a, known as the Les Adieux sonata, was written during the years 1809 and 1810.The title Les Adieux implies a programmatic nature...
, Op. 81a.
The 12-year old Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
almost certainly attended the premiere and the piece became a staple of his concert repertoire. He first played it at age 18, on 20 February 1827, in his first public concert, at which his A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture was premiered.
Among the technical tricks in the piano-writing are three upward octave glissandi-- one in the third movement, and two in the finale.
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
took up the idea of a concerto in one continuous movement in his Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Liszt)
Franz Liszt wrote drafts for his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in A major, S.125, during his virtuoso period, in 1839 to 1840. He then put away the manuscript for a decade. When he returned to the concerto, he revised and scrutinized it repeatedly. The fourth and final period of revision...
. Liszt also arranged the Konzertstück as a piece for piano solo (S. 576a).
The Konzertstück has been recorded many times and is a favourite of the piano concerto repertoire.