Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor (op. 25) was written in 1830–1, around the same time as his fourth symphony ("Italian"), and premiered in Munich in October 1831. He had already written a piano concerto in A minor with string accompaniment (1822) and two concertos with two pianos (1823–4). The three connected movements —
- Molto allegro con fuoco in G minor
- Andante in E major
- Presto—Molto allegro e vivace in G major
use several relatively new formal techniques in their brief span — for example, the piano enters very soon after the opening of the first movement, with little of an orchestral tutti to contrast with. The concerto quickly obtained popularity, and contains many sections of improvisation, one of Mendelssohn's specialities.
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