When it comes to piano concertos, people often rank the three parts of Beethoven as the top three. Even Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major is often referred to as the “Emperor” concerto. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor has been dubbed “Burning Old Chai” as the most popular concerto. Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor” is recognized as the “masterpiece” of piano concertos due to its integration of dazzling techniques and lyricism. I used to listen to Bei Wu quite a lot, but recently I especially like to listen to Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor”. After listening to it again and again, I also repeatedly listened to several different versions of the performance at home, and my mind was filled with the magnificent melody of Chai Yi.
If Beethoven’s symphony “Destiny” opens with a heavy knock on the earth that reaches directly into people’s hearts, making people feel an indescribable touch and shock. It can be said that the opening of Tchaikovsky’s “First Piano Concerto” is the pouring and surging music that brings people’s hearts into the ethereal space. Some music fans even say that the beginning of this piece is “soaring”, and that passionate rhythm is truly a masterpiece in the world.
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor was created in 1874. “That is the most popular concerto, but in terms of its grand conception and the scale of the work, it can be called a symphony played on the piano and in a band.”. The most classic part should be the prelude to the first movement. The broad and majestic melody at the beginning of the music is magnificent and magnificent, and the listener’s heart is shocked by it! It can be regarded as a peak of Russian piano music in the 19th century and one of the most talented creations in European music art in the last century. It is a work full of warmth and brilliance of youth.
It is said that music is for listening, not for speaking and writing. Music is not an art of visual and semantic expression. Its images, scenes, thoughts, and philosophies cannot be directly conveyed, nor can music be appreciated in literary and artistic ways. In fact, I am a music enthusiast who does not understand music theory. When listening to music, I often do not care about what I understand or not, and only experience the charm of sound through my inner feelings. The first movement begins with the introduction of four horns, followed by a piano thumping melody in a string ensemble. The theme is extremely majestic and brilliant, with varied colors, and a strong national flavor. It is broad and magnificent, full of passion, with a power to touch the soul, bringing deep excitement and shock to me!
This is a piano concerto with strong characteristics of Russian national music, which is often cited in many film and television works. The richness of the ideological content and artistic image of this work, the diversity and opposition of its themes, and the inherent tremendous strength of the intense development of music thoughts are all the reasons for its exciting charm. It is precisely these characteristics that make this concerto widely circulated before the author’s lifetime, It is often played by various types of pianists on concert stages in Europe and the United States. The author often includes it in his symphonic concert repertoire and personally directs the performance of this work for many times.
It is such a successful work that was almost strangled when it was just born. Originally, this work was dedicated to the famous Russian pianist and composer Nikolai Rubinstein, but Rubinstein relentlessly criticized the work, accusing it of being flashy, uninspiring, and unsuitable for playing on the piano. Tchaikovsky changed his original intention and dedicated this work to the German conductor Hans von Burrow. In October 1875, when Burrow toured the United States, he performed this work for the first time in Boston and achieved great success. However, 19 days later, when the work was performed in Petersburg, the Russian premiere failed due to the speed of the performance. The subsequent performance in Moscow in the same year was once again an unprecedented success. The pianist and composer Tanyev, who was only 18 years old at the time, played the piano solo, and the conductor was Nicola Rubinstein, who had refused to play at the beginning. He later became one of the recognized translation authorities for this piece.
Music is so wonderful that the same piece of work, performed by different conductors and performers at different times and places, can produce such dramatically different results. Music is understood through synesthesia, which is a psychological phenomenon in which various senses interact with each other. Based on the synaesthetic correspondence, the understanding of music content must be subjective, vague, and diverse, and the understanding of the same work by a performer varies greatly. “Everyone has synaesthesia, which occurs when you listen to music. Everyone has a strong sense of music, because it is a natural and instinctive response.”.
It was a Sunday afternoon when I was listening to the Chai Yigang Association at home. This is a compact disc produced by DG Corporation, CD number: DG 447 420-2. The piano player was the world-renowned and eccentric former Soviet piano master, Sviatoslav Richter, who played the Vienna Philharmonic with Karajan. “The evaluation of this disc has always been different, and it is not the first time I have listened to it. However, today, I feel more moved than ever before.”. The first movement, sonata form, lively allegro. The prelude begins to forcefully express the downward motivation, leading to a theme that suddenly opens up with a thunderous momentum. In my mind, I create a full and harmonious background, like a beautiful Russian oil painting, like a surging river breaking through the frozen river in early spring, large chunks of ice floes crashing into each other, surging all the way towards the distance. As the music progressed, the theme became affectionate and sincere, as sweet as a dream, with a hint of melancholy, embodying a leisurely and sweet poetic emotion. This feeling was sincere and sweet, with inner excitement, as if speaking out of affection. At this moment, tears actually filled my eyes.
Some people commented that the Viennese version of Richter Karajan is by far the most consistent version with the temperament of Lao Chai! Ranked first. “The versions I have heard of are limited and cannot be evaluated, but this version really touched my heart.”. The band under the command of Karayang, with its powerful voice and beautiful and moving tone, should be the most imperial temperament of Chai Yi. Some people have criticized the band for overtaking the piano in both volume and momentum, but that is also a matter of opinion. Richter’s performance has a strong and heavy Russian style, with a melancholy tone hidden inside, a melancholy soft and neurotic temperament, making it the most musical version.
Music is the art of hearing, but music is not just the art of hearing. In addition to the external sensory systems of seeing, listening, smelling, smelling, and touching, humans also have a very important internal sensory system, that is, the world of our emotions and emotions. This feeling is so delicate, subtle, intense, and profound, invisible, intangible, inarticulate, and unclear. It also requires an art to express, Music is the art that best expresses the feelings of the activities of the inner world of mankind. We say that music is the art of emotions. In the appreciation of music, experiencing the subtle and indescribable feelings in the heart is the most important way to appreciate music. There is no art in the world that can express the feelings and emotions of human inner world in such a delicate, rich, subtle, dynamic, and real-time manner as music. Our music is a language that radiates from the heart to the soul. Music needs no words and reaches directly into the depths of the human heart. Speaking of things that language cannot say, music is the place where language ends, and music is an emotional art.
Listening to Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor” gave me the first feeling of shock. The music sounded like being in the ethereal universe and the vast land. The music is filled with the passion and romance of youth, full of praise and longing for a better life, and worthy of being a classic work in piano concertos.
