Henselt - Piano Concerto in F minor- II "Larghetto"

Second movement ("Larghetto") from the Piano Concerto in F minor Op. 16.

Nicknamed the "Northern Chopin" by Schumann, Adolf von Henselt (1814-1889) was a stellar 19th-century piano virtuoso and composer once as famous as Chopin. In his early virtuoso career, he was respected by many of the early Romantics, and his two sets of etudes received ebullient praise from Schumann, who said they were some of the best piano music being written in the 1830s.

In 1838, Henselt moved to St. Petersburg and was one of the first great pedagogues to teach music in Russia before any conservatories existed. His presence and his compositions arguably established the foundation of the Russian piano school and influenced many Russian composers from Balakirev to Rachmaninov.

Henselt's performing career had a short lifespan. He was notoriously shy and suffered from severe stage fright that eventually terminated his ability to perform in concert. Although his earliest compositions, namely the two sets of etudes and the monumental Piano Concerto in F minor were successful, he composed a relatively small output compared to other pianist-composers of the time.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• chopin
• liszt

[wombat12550]

This is a very mediocre concerto but as always Hamelin plays it fantastically.

[Hexameron]

You must have very high standards for the 19th-century piano concerto if you think this is mediocre. This is an oasis from an otherwise barren desert of salon piano concerti.

Have you heard Herz, Kalkbrenner, Dreyschock, Thalberg, Moscheles, and Hiller? I would say most of their concerto output is mediocre, but not Henselt's.

[Kitshark]

I really like this song. Any idea where I can purchase the sheet music for it?

[Hexameron]

It's not a song since there's no vocal part, but you can find it for free on IMSLP

[thetamman]

brilliant - what a find, thank you! Is the whole concerto of this quality?

[Hexameron]

Yes, I think so. It's definitely good enough to substitute for one of Chopin's

[JCHBONNET]

Hi Hexameron ! This concerto is indeed excellent: refined and elegant. It combines Chopin's emotional style with the use of chords that one can find many years later in Rimsky and Scriabin's concertos. When was this concerto composed ? Anyway, thanks again for your selection !

[Stuart0193]

Astonishing, this is simply a joy to listen to. Just amazing.

[pianomangabe]

Heart-wrenching!! This is brilliant. Wow.

[Cantormatis]

Very good indeed- far more impressive than one of the very few works by Hanselt I've heard. Certainly fistfuls for the pianist to play, along with lovely tunes, adventurous harmony...

[Psem5]

I love the descent at 0:58.

[MrOliverKjaerulff]

The middle section just blew out the candles on my desk!

This concerto is absolutely marvoullous, thanks you so much for posting.

[losinggrip1993]

@wombat12550 Are you serious? This movement particulary is absoloutley stunning. Like stated before, your standards must be very high if you think this is 'mediocre'.

[addeex1]

Why am I not surprised to see Hamelin playing this to, where does he get his energy he's played like all piano music that exists!!! =_= But perfect and beautiful as always...

[Haeronthegreat]

Absolutely gorgeous change at 1:13, where the key signature changes.

[ultracoolhomies]

It bears somewhat of a resemblance to the second movement of Beethoven's fifth concerto.