Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in A-flat major (Mendelssohn)

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
Piano concerto by Felix Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn in 1821, age 12
Key	A-flat major
Composed	1824 (1824)
Performed	1825
Movements	3

The Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in A♭ major was written by Felix Mendelssohn when he was 15 years old, and is dated 12 November 1824.^[1] Written for two pianos and a full orchestra, the work received its first public performance in Berlin, in 1825. The composer and his mentor Ignaz Moscheles, who inspired its composition, were the soloists. He performed it again on 20 February 1827 at Stettin, where the cathedral organist, composer, baritone singer and conductor Carl Loewe organised concerts. Loewe and Mendelssohn were the two piano soloists on that occasion.^[2]

This concerto and its predecessor, the E major concerto, may have been the first works composed for full orchestra by Mendelssohn. It may have been inspired by the occasion when Mendelssohn met Ignaz Moscheles in Berlin in 1824, when Moscheles accepted an invitation to visit Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdy to give some music lessons to his children Felix and Fanny.

The concerto was not played for many years until the manuscript was found in the archive of the Berlin State Library in 1950.^[1]

Structure

There are three movements:

Allegro vivace
Andante
Allegro vivace

References

^ ^a ^b The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 03 – Mendelssohn Double Concertos on the Hyperion Records website
^ In 1829, the composer made his London debut with it, again with Moscheles as the second pianist. Portland Chamber Orchestra Archived August 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in A-flat major (Mendelssohn): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Felix Mendelssohn

Vocal

Stage	A Midsummer Night's Dream Antigone Oedipus at Colonus Die beiden Neffen Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde Die Hochzeit des Camacho
Sacred	Oratorio: St. Paul / Paulus Elijah / Elias Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen Wer bis an das Ende beharrt Christus Other: "Psalm 42" Vom Himmel hoch (chorale cantata) Drei Motetten Lobgesang (Symphony No. 2) Verleih uns Frieden "Hear my prayer" Lord, have mercy upon us Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (Psalm 100) Mitten wir im Leben sind
Other	Die erste Walpurgisnacht "On Wings of Song" Festgesang Festgesang an die Künstler

Orchestral

Symphony	13 String Symphonies No. 1 No. 2 (symphony-cantata Lobgesang) No. 3 (Scottish) No. 4 (Italian) No. 5 (Reformation)
Concerto	Violin and Strings Violin Piano, Violin and Strings Piano: No. 1 – No. 2 Two Pianos: in E major – in A♭ major
Other	Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage The Hebrides Die schöne Melusine "Wedding March"

Chamber

String quartet	String Quartet in E♭ major No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 Four pieces for string quartet
Other	Violin Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3 Viola Sonata Cello Sonata: No. 1 – No. 2 Assai tranquillo for cello and piano Clarinet Sonata Piano Trio: in C minor – No. 1 – No. 2 Piano Quartet: No. 1 – No. 2 – No. 3 String Quintet: No. 1 – No. 2 Piano Sextet String Octet