Composed in 1946, this concerto in one movement has been described as a work "torn between the aggression born of despair and the prostration of silent prayer" (pianist Alexei Lubimov), the oppressive mood of the post-war Soviet Union can be felt in the marked almost manic-depressive contrasts of lugubrious lyricism interrupted by sudden bursts of energy, attempts at change which seem to have nowhere to go, and are soon just left hanging, abandoned as quickly as they began. A passage for solo piano about midway into the piece reveals a tragic alienation of spirit, but again tries to recreate a remembered lyricism of days past. The string orchestra then takes over, echoing and expanding on the pianist's statements. The piano rejoins them, and some genuine progress toward a revival of spirit seems to be made, with some gestures reminiscent of Romantic piano concertos interwoven into the texture. The music builds but becomes more aggressive in tone, until we hear the initial harsh figures of the beginning theme, with the strings gradually extending to their most extreme ranges in almost agonized search. The two-note figure get repeated and repeated at first surrounded by despair chromatics and then suddenly by bright polytonal chords by an exceptionally extended coda arising in a very slow crescendo toward hopefulness.

(AllMusic)

Please take note that the audio AND the sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry.

Original audio: classical-music-online.net
Original sheet music: en.scorser.com

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