The Piano Concerto

A piano sonata is usually composed of three or four movements which include the intro, body, and the third and fourth parts, which are known for their fast tempos. Shortly after the piano was invented, piano sonatas were written by famous composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn (Sonata in D Major) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Piano Sonata No. 11). Other composers also created timeless sonatas that are usually included in many classical piano repertoires. If you’re trying to master the basics of piano sonata, listen to Chopin’s "Piano Sonata No. 3", Beethoven’s beloved "Moonlight Sonata", and Franz Liszt’s "Sonata in B Minor." In this genre, pieces are composed of a soloist and an ensemble or orchestra. The main focus is on the piano and the orchestra serves as an accompaniment. This style usually has three completely different movements. Probably one of the most recognized composers because of his amazing piano concertos is Amadeus Mozart.

Evgeny Kissin began to play the piano at the age of two years old. He was born in October 1971 in Moscow. At an age where many children are still mastering talking in complete sentences, Kissin was playing the piano by ear as well as improvising. He began attending the Moscow Gnessin School of Music studying under his teacher, Anna Pavlovna Kantor, at the age of six years old. This was a special school for gifted children and Anna Pavlovna Kantor was his sole teacher during his stint there. He played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic and at the Salzburg Easter Festival. The Salzburg Festival, founded in the late 1960's, is said to be an exclusive event with brilliant talents participating each year. During the 1990's, Evgeny Kissin performed in North America, as well, with the New York Philharmonic and at Carnegie Hall. He wowed the United States with his amazing piano talent while playing Chopin.

The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a testament not only to Ravel's brilliance, but also to the indomitable will of the man who commissioned it. Sadly, he lost his right arm during the fighting. After the war, Wittgenstein was not willing to admit that his dream of a concert piano career was over. Determined to succeed, he began practicing with his remaining hand to improve his left-handed technique. He tried to arrange two-handed works to accommodate his one-handed state. In the late 1920's Wittgenstein decided to approach leading piano composers of his day and commission works written intentionally for the left hand alone. He found something to complain about in almost every concerto offered to him by his all-star line-up of composers. With Wagner's work, Wittgenstein complained that the orchestration was too powerful to accompany a single-handed pianist, and would overpower the soloist. With Prokofiev's work, Wittgenstein declared that he simply would not play it.