Klavierkonzert No. 1 in b-moll, Op. 23 / Ouverture Solenelle (1812) Op. 49

Album by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky & Slovenská filharmónia & Bystrík Režucha

Klavierkonzert No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 and the Ouverture Solennelle (1812), Op. 49 are orchestral compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1874–75 and 1880 respectively. Both exemplify Tchaikovsky's late-Romantic orchestral idiom: the piano concerto juxtaposes expansive, virtuosic piano writing with rich orchestral textures and represents a major step in his work on large-scale concert forms, while the 1812 overture employs broad brass and percussion forces, bell and cannon-like effects and hymn-like motifs to depict and commemorate Russia's defence against Napoleonic invasion.