Piano concerto

Antonín Dvořák's only piano concerto in G minor was composed in 1876 and reveals the composer on his path toward a mature musical language. The work combines the romantic concerto tradition with early hints of that Bohemian idiom which would bring Dvořák world fame shortly thereafter. The G minor key lends the concerto a serious, at times melancholic fundamental character that is brightened by lyrical episodes and rhythmically striking passages.

The orchestration demonstrates Dvořák's already accomplished mastery of instrumental colors, as he guides soloist and orchestra in balanced dialogue. Unlike his later masterworks, the national coloring still remains restrained – stylistically, the concerto stands closer to German and Austrian Romanticism than to the folkloristically inspired works of his late period.

The piano concerto is considered less well-known today compared to Dvořák's famous cello concerto, yet it already displays the melodic inventiveness and orchestral imagination of the Bohemian master. It was originally conceived for the pianist and composer Karel Slavkovský, a friend of Dvořák's from his Prague years.