The Symphonic Concerto for piano and orchestra in B minor by Wilhelm Furtwängler was composed between 1924 and 1937. Its world premiere took place in Munich on 26 October 1937, with Edwin Fischer as soloist; Furtwängler conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In January 1939 there was a radio broadcast which has survived as the only complete recording of the original version of the concerto. The work is cast into three movements: The first (''Schwer, pesante'' in B minor) is an extensive sonata form movement of more than 30 minutes duration. A second movement follows, an ''Adagio solenne'' in D major influenced by Bruckner and Brahms; and lasting approximately 11 minutes. The last movement (''Allegro moderato'') is composed in free-form and has some hints of a rondo. Its duration is about 20 minutes and the work concludes in dark and gloomy mood with pianissimo dynamics. As a result of its ambivalent reception and technical difficulty, Furtwängler's ''Symphonic Concerto'' has rarely been performed in public. Extensive revisions were made to the score prior to its publication by Brucknerverlag of Wiesbaden in 1954. This is the version that has been performed since. The concerto has also been published in a critical edition edited by George Alexander Albrecht. The Brucknerverlag also published a two-piano reduction of the score. Other notable champions of the work have included Paul Badura-Skoda,

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

Konstantin Scherbakov Konstantin Scherbakov (11 June 1963 in Barnaul, Siberia, Russian SFSR) is a Russian pianist. He was the winner of the first Rachmaninoff international piano competition in 1983. In 1990, he played solo in four recitals at the Chamber Music Festiv ...

Gerhard Oppitz Gerhard Oppitz (born 5 February 1953, Frauenau) is a German classical pianist. He studied with Paul Buck, Hugo Steurer and Wilhelm Kempff. In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München Erik Then-Bergh Erik Then-Bergh (3 May 1916 – 19 April 1982) was a German pianist and music educator. Life and career Born in Hanover, Then-Bergh received his first piano lessons at the age of five from his father and further training with the Hanoverian pia ...

, Gergely Boganyi, Dagmar Bella, Walter Prossnitz, Johannes Bork, Homero Francesch, Hirokuni Ishikawa, Takahiro Sonoda,

András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Musi ...

David Lively David Lively (born 27 June 1953) is a French classical pianist of US origin. Biography Born in Ironton, Ohio, Lively began his career at the age of 14 playing Khachatourian's Piano Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony. In 1972 he won fourth ...

, and Stephan Möller.

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