Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto

One night in mid-November, my family and I went to see the Minnesota Orchestra perform 3 pieces. The first was a suite from The Snow Maiden by Rimsky-Korsakov. Then was the highlight of the concert: Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. They finished with Symphony No.4 by Williams. Overall, this concert was outstanding. The piano concerto really was incredible, as was the rest of the performance. The first piece, suite from The Snow Maiden, was 4 pieces selected from an opera about the transformation of a girl from having a heart of ice to having one filled with love. The first number they played was the introduction. The woodwinds carried a minor melody, and the strings provided a suspenseful effect. The percussion established a mood of anticipation.

4 in F minor, an intense and violent piece in 4 movements. The first movement, Allegro, started out with trouble brewing and notes that were odd when put together. The theme of suspense carried into a moment of beautiful conflicting screams, and the violent movement came to rest in one pluck. The second movement, Andante Moderato, starting out with conflicting parts in the brass and an eerie melody in the violins. Then there was a part of anguish with unresolved ideas and a growing sound which lead to an unresolved solo flute ending. The third movement, Scherzo: Allegro molto, started out urgent and quick, with a melody being passed around the woodwinds. The lower brass had large heavy moments which were quickly followed by frantic interjecting crazy moments and then the piece ended with this jaunty theme and obsessive and frantic tune. The final movement, Finale con epilogo fugato: Allegro molto, started with a quiet melody which quickly grew frantic yet controlled. It descended into a suspense and anticipation, and the excitement grew into a battle between the cheerful violins and the dramatic brass. The tempo grew faster and the battle continued into a gloriously epic