Frédéric Chopin - Piano Concerto Nº 2 Op. 21 in F minor, 1829.
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn
Arthur Rubinstein, pianist, 1975.

Movements:
I Maestoso http://youtu.be/hKK0GfdDv4s
II Larghetto http://youtu.be/Q_dSI0gVbp0
III Allegro Vivace http://youtu.be/DgV1zxKnqEg

Complete Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKK0GfdDv4s&list=PL01B537DA781ABB70


The slow movements find Frédéric Chopin at his most generously rhapsodic, the pianist diving off on sublime flights of fantasy while the orquestra offer a glowing curtain of sound.

If the first movement bears the stamp of the "stile brillante", the second shows the influence of Italian opera. The piano style of not only Chopin, but also his contemporaries, owes much to the bel canto operas of composers like Rossini and Bellini, as well as to the leading singers of the day. The delicate melodic embroidery in the outer section is unmistakably operatic; so, too, is the arioso-like piano writing, over trembling strings, in the middle section.…