The Grieg and Schumann piano concertos

Book excerpt: Two of the great nineteenth-century Romantics, Robert Schumann and Edvard Grieg, each composed only one piano concerto. These world-famous works are cornerstones of the concerto literature and considered among the most popular and accessible piano concertos in the repertory. Both works are paired in this finely made, inexpensive two-piano edition. This side-by-side presentation clarifies the close relationship between the two works. In his concerto, completed in 1868, Grieg gave Schumann the ultimate tribute, patterning his music on the Schumann concerto completed two decades earlier. Both are in A Minor. Both introduce the soloist immediately, in a dazzling outburst from top to bottom of the keyboard. Principal themes are unusually alike, as are episodes of tender simplicity and dramatic intensity. Both works are presented here in authoritative two piano playing editions. This classic format for two keyboards is the universal standard for students and professionals alike, for learning and rehearsing all piano concertos. It gives the pianist the most accessible form and practical means to prepare a work for performance. Dover adds to this practicality the convenience and economy of two major concertos within a single volume.