Piano Concerto No. 2 (Chopin)

From May 2024, a score from the collection of the National Library of Poland, where a piano part is in Chopin’s own hand, is presented at a permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth.

Structure

The work contains the three movements typical of instrumental concertos of the period:

1. Maestoso (F minor)
2. Larghetto (A-flat major)

   A work of "undescribable beauty", this nocturnal movement is said to have been inspired by Chopin's distant idolization of Konstancja Gładkowska or of Tytus Woyciechowski. The main theme (the "A" section) is introduced by the piano after an orchestral introduction and is later repeated twice and again, at measure 82 (the start of the coda), is enhanced by the sublime entrance of the bassoon in canon, followed by the bassoon transitioning to a counter-melody.

3. Allegro vivace (F minor – F major)

   The virtuosic finale is in rondo form. The violins and violas are at one point instructed to play col legno (with the wood of the bow). For the piano, the final sections are regarded as extremely technically demanding.

A typical performance lasts around 30 to 35 minutes.