Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chopin) - Structure

Structure

It contains the three movements typical of instrumental concertos of the period:

1. Allegro maestoso
2. Romance - Larghetto
3. Rondo - Vivace

Classical critics usually fall into one of two schools of thought concerning the piece. The first of these says that, given that Chopin was a composer for the piano first and foremost, the orchestral part of this piece acts more as a vehicle for the pianist, with the individual instrumental parts being uninteresting to perform. The second suggests that the orchestral backing is carefully and deliberately written to fit in with the sound of the piano, and that the simplicity of arrangement is in deliberate contrast to the complexity of the harmony.

Chopin preferred to use unusual modulations in his expositions. For example, in the first movement, the exposition modulates to the parallel major, i-I, instead of the expected i-III. Interestingly, Chopin applies this tonal relation (i-III) between the second and the third theme in the recapitulation, where an actual i-I modulation would have been expected. In fact, the Romance is the only movement where the second theme of the exposition fits the classical model of modulating to the dominant (I-V), although even there, when the second theme returns, it modulates to the mediant (III).

It has been performed and recorded many times. Mily Balakirev re-orchestrated the concerto (using the same orchestral forces as Chopin employed), and also wrote arrangements for violin and orchestra as well as for piano solo of the Romance - Larghetto movement.