Piano Concerto No. 2 (Bartók)

Béla Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Sz. 95, BB 101 (1930–31) is the second of three piano concerti, and is notorious for being one of the most difficult pieces in the repertoire.

In approaching the composition, Bartók wanted the music to be more contrapuntal. He also wanted to simplify his music (like many of his contemporaries), but his use of counterpoint in this piece makes for an extremely complicated piece of music. This aspect had proven particularly troublesome in the First Concerto, so much so, in fact, that the New York Philharmonic, which was to have given the premiere, could not master it in time, and Bartók's Rhapsody had to be substituted into the program. The composer himself acknowledged that the piano part was arduous and later said that the concerto "is a bit difficult—one might even say very difficult!—as much for orchestra as for audience." Bartók himself claimed in a 1939 article to have composed this concerto as a direct contrast to the First.

Nonetheless, the concerto is notorious for its difficulty. András Schiff said, "For the piano player, it's a finger-breaking piece. [It] is probably the single most difficult piece that I have ever played, and I usually end up with a keyboard covered by blood."Stephen Kovacevich also declared that it was the most technically demanding piece he had ever played and that he nearly paralyzed his hands while preparing the piece.

The concerto was dated 1930/1931, but not premiered until January 23, 1933 in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Hans Rosbaud with Bartók as the soloist. The first performance in Hungary was later that same year, conducted by Otto Klemperer with Louis Kentner playing the piano at Bartók's request.

Bartók himself played the work at the Proms in London under Sir Henry Wood as early as January 7, 1936, an initiative of the BBC music producer Edward Clark. (Whether this was the UK premiere has not been confirmed; it was in any case three years before the United States premiere.)

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