- Chopin composed this concerto in 1829, and it was published in 1836. He dedicated the work to Polish countess Delfina Potocka, one of his many aristocratic piano students.
- Chopin composed this concerto a year before he wrote his “Concerto No. 1” in e minor. The e minor concerto was published first, hence the confusing numbering.
- Chopin wrote both of his piano concertos during his youth in Poland. At the time it was expected that a serious pianist would undertake a touring concert career, frequently performing their own perfuming virtuosic piano compositions, especially compositions for piano and orchestra. Chopin found the touring virtuoso life distasteful and eventually chose to carve his own career as a composer, teacher, and private salon performer in Paris.
- Chopin performed this concerto in Warsaw to an audience of 900 people on March 17, 1830. The concert was a success, but Chopin hated the experience, especially the publicity involved.
- Chopin played this concerto at his Paris concert debut at the Salle Pleyel on February 26, 1832. This performance helped make Chopin a popular member of the Parisian music scene, and his social connections soon allowed him to make a career as a sought-after private piano teacher to the elite rather than a touring virtuoso.1
Sources
- Kornel Michałowski and Jim Samson, “Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed February 19, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051099.
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