Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, op. 23

The roller coaster of opinions – “worthless, absolutely unplayable“ (claims Nikolaj Rubinstein, basically Tchaikovsky’s desired pianist for his Concerto in B flat minor); “brilliant”, “magnificent” (Hans von Bülow, then first performer and dedicatee of the work) – demonstrates the work’s initially ambivalent reception. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 is one of the most powerful and popular compositions of the classical music repertoire altogether; and it is also quite unconventional and runs counter to the norms of the time. Though it may seem strange to us today, let us recall that during his lifetime, Tchaikovsky was regarded disputable abroad (and especially in Germany), was considered an “ultra-modern” Russian composer, and was even accused of being a musical nihilist and primitivist. But one glance at the score of the piano concerto suffices to reveal its truly amazing character …