Frédéric Chopin’s Movement 2 – Romance-Larghetto from his Piano Concerto No. 1 is the perfect piece for a drizzly Sunday morning here in Bogota, Colombia. I find it stunning and my eyes well with tears as I listen to it again now. I can see why Chopin was renowned as the ‘Prince of Pianists‘. It’s astonishing to me he wrote such a beautiful concerto when he was only 20 years old. I believe the first time I heard parts of it was in the soundtrack of Peter Weir’s The Truman Show.
His Piano Concerto No. 1 was first performed on 12 October, 1830, at the Teatr Narodowy (the National Theatre) in Warsaw, Poland, with the composer as soloist, during one of his “farewell” concerts before leaving Poland for Paris. It was “a success…. a full house and received thunderous applause‘ according to the daily newspaper Warsaw Courier. Seven weeks later when he first played it in Paris, the Belgian musicologist François-Joseph Fétis wrote in La Revue musicale that “There is spirit in these melodies, there is fantasy in these passages, and everywhere there is originality“.
It was the first of Chopin’s two piano concertos to be published, and was therefore given the designation of Piano Concerto “No. 1” at the time of publication, even though it was actually written immediately after the premiere of what was later published as Piano Concerto No. 2 which I wrote about in April this year.
Chopin wrote the following about the Romance-Larghetto to his friend Tytus Woyciechowski:
“It is not meant to create a powerful effect; it is rather a Romance, calm and melancholy, giving the impression of someone looking gently towards a spot that calls to mind a thousand happy memories. It is a kind of reverie in the moonlight on a beautiful spring evening“.
A quick Bio
The following extract I translated from my daughter’s book on Chopin (see image inset):
Son of a Frenchman and Polish woman, Chopin was born 22 de February, 1810. Before he could learn to read he wanted to compose melodies. When he was 8-years old he played for large audiences and at 15 he was considered the finest pianist in Warsaw. Chopin wanted tranquility but in Warsaw large marching bands and the yells from angry people annoyed him. So, he decided to move to Paris where he discovered fame, luxury and high fashion. In Paris everyone celebrated the arrival of Chopin. He was renowned as the ‘Prince of Pianists‘. Chopin died in Paris at age 39. His last wishes were that they play Mozart at his funeral and let his heart rest forever in the Warsaw Cathedral.
References:
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 (Chopin) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
The Monsignor Emeritus of my former church died last week. He was a very kind man. He was a lover of music, travel, exercise, and all sorts of adventurous expeditions. He had a good life, which is all any of us can ask for, and passed at the age of 98. This gorgeous Chopin piece was playing at his wake Thursday night.
Thank you, Matt, for a very fine selection.
I appreciate you sharing the background and description of that fine and adventurous gentlemen who lived a very long and fruitful life. What a wonderful piece of music to eulogise his solemn departure from this great play called ‘life’.
Thanks, Matt. Your comment immediately reminded me of this Shakespeare quote from As You Like It: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances…..”
That’s fascinating Nancy. I first used this ‘This great play called life’ when discussing Heath Ledger’s contribution before his early departure.
Oh yes Matt! Very tranquil and lovely!
I’m left speechless listening to it. I’m delighted you liked it so.
Such a gorgeous concerto, and all the more remarkable given he composed it when only 20 years old. It’s unfortunate Chopin died at such a young age, as we can only imagine how many more musical masterpieces he might have written had he lived longer.
I borrowed your quote in the last post of his Piano Concerto 2 for this article lol You wrote: It’s astonishing to me that Chopin wrote such a beautiful concerto when he was only 19 years old.’
It’s funny how Concerto 2 was written before 1 but they were published in reverse hence why the numbers are out of wack.
Yes, you imagine if both Mozart and Chopin had not died so young? It boggles the mind what we missed out on.