Chopin Allegro de Concert op.46

[opuswriter]

I have started working on the Allegro de Concert op.46 by Chopin. Although seldom played in concerts and not appreciated by many critics, to me this is an absolutely magnificient piece of music. It has beauty, grace, virtuosity and interesting technical challenges for the player.

Does anyone have experience with this piece or advice? Or any interesting background info or stories about it? I know the sketches behind op.46 is presumed by many to be the embryo of Chopin's third (but if so not completed) piano concerto, but I'm sure there's more...

Any preferred recordings? My favourite so far is Ashkenazy's (stunning, absolutely brilliant - get it if you do not have it!).

// Jason Lee

[presto agitato]

The most unpianistic and by far the worst piano piece piece Chopin wrote IMO

[mikey6]

one of my teachers said, that's a good piece to play...when you've played every other piece in the repertoire

[jas]

It's believed to have been originally composed as the first movement of a third concerto, but the concerto was scrapped and the movement revised as a solo piece. Apparently.

Jas

[soliloquy]

Randomly I don't think it's a bad piece.  It's not supposed to be serious or heart-wrenching like his Sonatas or Balladen.  It's just supposed to be cute I think.  It's not GREAT, but it's not awful either.  Defo very nasty technically.