Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 23

Composer: MACDOWELL, Edward
  • Written in 1886, Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 23, displays the influence of Schubert, Beethoven, and Liszt. MacDowell dedicated the piece to Teresa Carreño. 
  • Three movements:
    1. Larghetto calmato — Poco più mosso, e con passione
    2. Presto giocoso
    3. Largo — Molto Allegro1
  • Following its premiere in New York in 1889, Piano Concerto No. 2 quickly became MacDowell’s best-known large-scale work.
  • Listen for: concertos typically structure the slower movement as the second/middle movement; however, MacDowell positioned his first movement first.
  • Fun fact: the 1889 concert that premiered Macdowell’s second piano concerto also programmed the American premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.2

Sources

  1. “Piano Concerto No.2, Op.23 (MacDowell, Edward),” IMSLP, accessed May 15, 2026, https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No.2,_Op.23_(MacDowell,_Edward).
  2. Dave Kopplin, “Piano Concerto No. 2,” Hollywood Bowl, accessed May 15, 2026, https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/2747/piano-concerto-no-2.

Cut IDs

28119 43030