Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor Op. 11 is one of the most popular virtuoso piano concertos. Together with the Piano Concerto op. 21, composed around the same time in 1829/30, the twenty-year-old soloist established his brilliant career in Europe. After studying in Poland, Chopin went to Paris, where Frederick Kalkbrenner, one of the most famous pianists of his time and Chopin’s great role model, had founded a virtuoso school. To him, Chopin dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 1.

After the premiere on 11 October 1830 in Warsaw, Chopin told his friend Tytus Woyciechowski of “lively bravos”. This piano concerto, with its capricious and technically demanding runs and figures, continued to be a success on Chopin’s concert tours abroad. The cantabile style and the numerous coloratura-like ornaments are also striking. Model for this brilliant virtuoso concerto was, among others, the piano œuvre of Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Characteristically, the piano dominates, with the orchestra often only an accompanying accessory. In the final movement, Chopin pays tribute to his native Poland with a lively 2/4 rondo in the style of a polka.

The piano reduction is by the contemporary composer and pianist Carl Reinecke, who provides additional notes on the instrumentation in the orchestral part (Piano II). Designations and ornamentation variants in the solo part (Piano I) by the famous Polish pianist Ignaz Friedmann complete the edition. Breitkopf & Härtel provides a complete set of performance materials with parts, score and study score.