Will I understand Mendelssohn 2 without having heard Mendelssohn 1?

[bigboibrahms]

I recently got two free tickets from a friend at work to see Mendelssohn piano concerto no. 2! Alas, I have not had a chance to hear the first concerto and am worried I will be lost at the concert. Will I be able to follow what’s going on if I don’t find the time to listen to Mendelssohn 1 before hand? Thanks 

[cheeriosok]

Yes, much like the Beethoven Sonatas, each piece tells a story, which is continued in the next piece and etc. You might enjoy listening to the 2nd concerto without having listened to the 1st one, but it's honestly better if you listen to all of his music in chronological order so starting with maybe his piano sonatas would be best.

Best,
cheerio

[themeandvariation]

"each piece tells a story, which is continued in the next piece and etc. You might enjoy listening to the 2nd concerto without having listened to the 1st one, but it's honestly better if you listen to all of his music in chronological order so starting with maybe his piano sonatas would be best."
Yes, and since the composer picks up from the story of the previous generations, one must listen from 'the beginning of the art of music', (say, from Ancient Greece - {see Harry Partch's treatment}, through gregorian chants, Perotin, Von Bingen, Guillaume de Machaut, and everything else, on up to 1837, {the year Mendelssohn wrote the 2nd piano concerto}) in chronological order to understand this piece.  Obviously.
No time to listen to the 1st concerto?  You don't have a spare 20 minutes before you go to the concert?  (I wonder where they are doing concerts again...)

[pianoannieq]

Hi Bigboibrahms,

No, you do not need to listen to his first concerto or his other works to enjoy or understand the second one. They are two separate works, and the same goes for his sonatas.

In my opinion, there is no point in listening to his works in order, just enjoy his music (his piano sonatas even were not his first works). I hope you will enjoy the concert :)

[quantum]

Just enjoy discovering a new piece of music.  There is plenty of opportunity to dig deeper later on. 

Actually, enjoy the opportunity to even listen to live music at this time.  Where I am, concerts will likely not happen for many more months. 

[lostinidlewonder]

What could you miss? Unless you are writing some analysis of the music just go listen and enjoy it. Music does not require that you listened to everything consecutively. You’d probably gain a lot more appreciation if you research why the concerto was written and any story that lies behind it.