I’ve been tired and uninspired lately, so I will just take a moment to rattle off some thoughts about Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F. Feel like I could give the Romantic era business a rest anyway.
Our good friend Dmitri wrote a bunch of brooding, controversial symphonies, but in this concerto, there is a nice slice of his more cheerful side, as can be found too in the Festive Overture and ninth symphony. Actually, the Andante movement is reminiscent of a Romantic adagio, but the rest of the work is a sprightly spattering of thematic variations and fingering exercises—the latter conceived as a joke for the composer’s son. Honestly though, how fun is this melody?
What a curious concerto.