Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

's Piano Concerto No. 4 in B-flat major for the left hand, Op. 53, was commissioned by the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein and completed in 1931. It was the only one of Prokofiev's complete piano concertos that never saw a performance during his lifetime. It was premiered in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

on 5 September 1956 by

Siegfried Rapp Siegfried Rapp (1915 - 1982) was a German pianist who lost his right arm during World War II and then focused on the left-hand repertoire. He is now mainly remembered for being the first to perform Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 4 for the Left Ha ...

and the West

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also ...

, conducted by

Martin Rich Martin Rich (October 8, 1905October 23, 2000) was a German opera and symphonic conductor. Rich played the piano from the age of 5. He studied in Berlin under Franz Schreker. He conducted at venues in Bologna in Italy, and Grant Park, in Ill ...

. The United States premiere was in 1958, by

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in ...

and the Philadelphia Orchestra under

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with ...

. The British premiere was in 1961, by

Malcolm Binns Malcolm Binns (born 29 January 1936) is a British classical pianist. Biography Malcolm Binns was born in Nottingham, England, in 1936. He studied music at the Royal College of Music in London from 1952 to 1956, including piano with Arthur Alexan ...

. Prokofiev expressed some interest in making an arrangement for piano two-hands and orchestra, but never went through with this idea.

Structure

The four movements last around 25 minutes: # ''Vivace'' (4–5 mins.) # ''Andante'' (8–13 mins.) # ''Moderato'' (8–9 mins.) # ''Vivace'' (1–2 mins.) The outer movements serve in a way as prelude and postlude, with the middle two comprising the bulk of the concerto. The ''Andante'' is reflective and makes rhetorical use of the strings, expanding with Romantic grandness. The remarkable third movement in modified

sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

, punctured and playful — some have said “sarcastic” — offers arresting, emphatic dialogs between the piano and the percussion section; it is marked ''Moderato'' and to be effective must be played strictly as such: not the least bit hurried. The ''Vivace'' ends abruptly, with the piano running up ''pianissimo'' to a high B-flat₇.

Instrumentation

The work is scored for solo piano (left hand), 2 flutes, 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s, 1

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

, 1

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

, bass drum and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

Recordings

References

External links

* {{Authority control Piano concertos by Sergei Prokofiev Commissions by Paul Wittgenstein 1931 compositions Compositions in B-flat major Concertos for piano left-hand and orchestra