Ivan Bessonov – Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S.124

In this video, Ivan Bessonov performs Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S.124, with the ZKR Orchestra, conducted by Dmitri Jurowski.

Upcoming concerts and tickets: ivanbessonov.com

Franz Liszt began sketching his First Piano Concerto around 1830, when he was still a teenager. Yet the work took more than two decades to reach the concert stage. A substantial version was completed in 1849, followed by revisions in 1853 and further refinements after its premiere.

The historic first performance took place in Weimar on February 17, 1855. Liszt himself played the solo part, while his friend, the celebrated French composer Hector Berlioz, conducted the orchestra — an extraordinary meeting of two giants of Romantic music.

Unlike a traditional concerto with separate movements, Liszt’s masterpiece unfolds in four interconnected sections, performed without a break. Its musical themes continually return in transformed shapes, changing from heroic declarations to tender melodies, playful exchanges and a triumphant finale.

One of its most unusual features is the prominent triangle in the scherzo. This unexpected orchestral colour provoked controversy among critics and even earned the work the nickname “Triangle Concerto.” Today, the same passage is admired for its wit, brilliance and originality.

The concerto combines breathtaking virtuosity with poetic intimacy. The piano is not merely a dazzling solo instrument: it enters into a vivid conversation with the orchestra, creating a work that remains one of the most thrilling achievements of Romantic piano music.
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