JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1. Haydn Variations Cédric Tiberghien, BBC SO, Jiří Bělohlávek

The First Concerto of the 26-year-old Brahms had a curious gestation: begun as a symphony (his actual First Symphony was premiered only 27 years later!), originally scored for two pianos through lack of orchestral experience, it turned into a concerto for just one piano while also providing material for other works (the German Requiem)! Implicitly dedicated to Schumann, the piece initially had difficulty establishing itself in the repertoire before achieving recognition as one of the models of the genre – like the celebrated ‘Haydn’ Variations.