Piano Concerti. Tchaikovsky No.1 or Schumann

[chopinrabbitthing]

Hi there!

I was wondering which would be easier/more difficult (technique and musically) and why, in your opinion.
I wanna play either one, preferably the Tchaikovsky, but I don't have a lot of time to learn it. BTW, I've played a couple of concerti before, but this is probably my first Romantic one.
Thanks

[thalbergmad]

Neither is a good choice for a first romantic concerto.

Painting a rusty fence is more pleasurable than wasting time on the Schumann, so it would have to be the Tchaikovsky.

The Schumann is technically the easier, but it is musically empty and amateurish.

Thal

[invictious]

Same with the Tchaikovsky. The orchestra has beautiful melodies and all that, but the piano part just seems to be so unpianistic!

[redbaron]

I'm generally of the opinion that the Tchaikovsky wastes its massive potential after the first few minutes but don't be put off by Thal's negativity about the Schumann. Since I've never played the concerto I can't speak for the quality of the piano writing (although being as it's Schumann it's probably pretty awkward) but in terms of musical content the first movement is one of the finest concerto movements the Romantic era produced and I say that as somebody who generally doesn't even like Schumann.