The young Brahms spent five years struggling to perfect his first piano concerto, a mighty work that, despite a disastrous premiere in 1859, is now considered one of the great monuments of the concerto repertoire. From the theatrically powerful opening, to the tranquil adagio, to the spirited whirlwind of the finale, this is a grand and dramatic work, exhibiting Brahms’ supreme compositional mastery on every page.
