My favourite classical piece for the moment is Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor - it's a simple work but so sublime. Okay I admit that this hadn't always been my favourite classical piece, my past favourites included Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 2, and Elgar's Cello Concerto; but this one is just as nice, if not nicer. In fact it was Rachmaninoff's favourite concerto which inspired him to write his first Piano Concerto.

The first movement starts off with a famous bang, the timpani rolls, and then the high descending octaves outlining the A minor chord - the big flourish; before the woodwinds set up the first subject theme, a three-note theme with varying rhythms, later repeated a third up (with the C chord for harmony). After that, comes the distinctive 'norwegian' part, the E - F - B, A - A# - E; the distinctive interval is the augmented 4th / diminished 5th leap that finds its way all throughout the first movement. After a bit of development, where the first subject is transferred to the piano, the piano runs into this agile, frantic, downward chordal figure - which climaxes into a huge third-down-chromatic-glissando, before lush strings take over in timeless, graceful pirouttes, interplaying with the piano replying each other....

Which brings us to the second subject theme, a thing of beauty, quite a beautiful arch-shaped melody, introduced by the cellos, while the flutes reply. It then repeats itself a minor 3rd up, in C minor this time; before the piano takes over with the second subject theme - by this time I'm about to melt. Then the second subject theme moves into another lyrical passage, which is repeated higher again, and then grows into another climax - to be followed by the tutti section, the third subject:
C-B-G -B- C-B-G-B-C-B-G-B; full on trumpets.

Next up is the development; the first subject is transferred from instrument to instrument while the piano glissandos over it with varying harmonies, giving it a very light elvish feel.

More to come!